


Phantom Messiah

by LazuriteLuxCaelum



Category: Persona 3, Persona 5
Genre: Fluff/Romance, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Long Lost Sibling, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-09 13:34:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 44
Words: 95,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13482546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazuriteLuxCaelum/pseuds/LazuriteLuxCaelum





	1. Chapter 1

**Somewhere in the realm of the end of the world………**

“ _Don’t worry, dear Minato. For I’ve finally found a way to freed you from your duty as the “Great Seal” in sealing away Nyx, the Greek Goddess of Night and preventing her from meeting and bringing forth “The Fall” with her husband, Erebus, the Greek God of Darkness and gave you the second chance to truly live your life in the world of the living._ ” thought Elizabeth as she glance up at the large and floating golden double doors that had the stone statue of her cherish guest in a crucified position in the center of the door before she closed her eyes in deep concentration and raised her hand out in front of her.

A bright sphere of golden and silver light (which is the power of all of his bonds with his friends and acquaintances and a chunk of Elizabeth’s power) started to appear and gather in Elizabeth’s hand before it shot straight forward and struck the stone statue, causing it to crack then break apart and freed the slumbering soul of Minato confined within before he fell and Elizabeth quickly rushed forward and grabbed hold of his soul while the sphere that struck the stone statue started to mend the statue up until it’s intact and without opening the door. After Elizabeth freed Minato’s soul, she then waved her left hand to conjured up his body before she slowly put his soul back into his body, sat down and lifted him up and put him down on her lap. Elizabeth then waited for a few minutes before she saw Minato take a deep breath, slowly opened and closed his eyes twice before he glance at her.

“Hello and nice to see you alive, dear Minato.” said Elizabeth as she smiled softly at Minato.

“Yeah, nice to- hold on a second. How and why am I……… No, if I’m here then that means the Seal is-!” said Minato in a strained tone of voice to Elizabeth before an alarmed look appear on his face.

“You don’t have to worry about that, Minato. The Seal is intact because I’ve managed to find a way to use all of the strong bonds that you had with your friends plus a chunk of my power to freed and replaced you as the Seal.” said Elizabeth calmly to Minato (who sigh in relief).

“Is that so?” said Minato as he missed the bonds that he had with the members of SEES. “So what now, Elizabeth? Now that you've freed me from being the Seal.” asked Minato.

“Now that I’ve freed you from being the Seal, it’s time for you to leave this place and embark on a new journey to helped out the latest Wild Card user, forged new bonds with him and others and live the life that you never have. And I hope that there’s no need for you to return to this place again.” replied Elizabeth.

“I see. Very well then, I accept. And will I see you again?” said Minato as he slowly nodded to Elizabeth.

“Unfortunately no, dear Minato. You’ve already fulfilled the contract of my master years ago so there’s no need for us to meet again. But know that I’ll be watching over and rooting for you and farewell.” said Elizabeth to Minato.

“Fine……… Farewell to you too, Elizabeth.” said Minato as he bade farewell to Elizabeth before he closed his eyes and fell into unconsciousness.

XXXX

The sudden jostle of the train speeding down the railway toward Shibuya inside the city of Tokyo startled and jerked Minato Arisato (who’s wearing a long sleeve grey jacket with a long black trousers and grey sneakers on his legs and with a silver-coloured earphone around his neck that connects to an MP3 player tucked in his trousers left pocket) up from his slumber before he slowly take a look at the interior of the train around him, saw that it’s filled with various students and adults standing or sitting in the train with him and he also noticed a short wavy black-haired, spectacled grey-eyed guy wearing a school uniform with a bag on his lap sitting opposite him before he closed his eyes, let out a small sigh and leaned back in his seat before he heard the strange conversation between 2 female students standing to his left near the train door.

“What? Are you for real? A mental shutdown?” asked the first girl in disbelief to the second girl.

“It’s the truth.” replied the second girl with a nod of her head.

“But to a person though? That’s gotta be a joke. You really love all that occult stuff, don’t you?” said the first girl to the second girl before they began chuckling to each other about the mental shutdown thing.

“ _Hm, a mental shutdown, huh? Sounds similar to the “Apathy Syndrome” case caused by Shadows which my friends and I try our best fight and defeat a few years ago. Come to think of it, I wonder how are all of them now, especially Yukari. When I’ve free time, I’ll be sure to call or search for them all. Hope they won't be too surprise to know that I'm free from the Seal and came back._ ” thought Minato slightly sadly to himself before he noticed a duffel bag plus a manila folder lying on top of the bag next to him and he take and opened the manila folder and saw that it contains his name, picture, paper files about him transferring from one school to another until he reached the final file saying that he’ll be living with a prosecutor named Sae Niijima and her younger sister Makoto in an apartment building and entering Shujin Academy for his third and final year of high school.

“ _Most of the files in here about me are correct and I’ll be living with a prosecutor named Sae Niijima and her younger sister, Makoto, huh? Lucky me, thanks a lot, Elizabeth._ ” thought Minato as he let out a small, sarcastic sigh at Elizabeth, closed and put the folder about him back into the duffel bag next to him before the train eventually reached and came to a stop inside the Shibuya station and the train doors opened for him, the wavy black-haired student guy sitting opposite him and the other passengers. Minato then grabbed the duffel bag, stood up and walked out of the train with the guy and the other passengers, walked up the stairs out of the station and into the station square where he and the guy saw the large group of people walking or hanging out together in different corners of the station square around them both with cool looks on their faces.

As both Minato and the guy make their way down the street away from the square, Minato noticed that the guy had stopped and is trying to repeatedly tapped at something on his phone to get rid of it with a frown look on his face and he turned and approach the guy.

“Is there something wrong with your phone?” Minato asked the guy, which make him stopped tapping his phone and glance suspiciously at him.

“What’s it to you, stranger?” said the guy quite rudely to Minato (who raised an eyebrow at his rudeness).

“Excuse me, all I did was ask if there’s something wrong with your phone. There’s no need for you to be rude about it.” said Minato coldly to the guy.

“…………Fine, you’re right and I’m sorry for being rude to you. It’s just that after what I’ve gone through………” said the guy apologetically to Minato before he trailed off into silence, not wanting to tell Minato about it.

“ _I’m guessing that what he’d gone through must be bad enough that he doesn’t wish to tell me about it until he wants to talk about it._ ” thought Minato correctly in his mind before the guy showed him the mysterious yet creepy looking red and black icon that looks like an eye with star inside which expanded and covered almost the bottom half of his phone screen. “Woah. What kind of creepy-looking app is that? I’ve never seen it before.” asked Minato as he glance at the app with a confused frown look on his face as well.

“I don’t know. It just suddenly appears on my phone and I can’t seem to get rid of it somehow.” replied the guy concernly to Minato. “Oh, I haven’t introduced myself to you yet, isn’t it? I’m Akira Kurusu.” said the guy named Akira Kurusu to Minato.

“Nice to meet you, Akira Kurusu-kun. My name is Minato Arisato.” said Minato, introducing himself to Akira.

“Yeah, nice to meet you too, Minato Arisato.” said Akira.

The next second, the people and the vehicles around both Minato and Akira started to slow down then came to a silent stop as time stand still, which make Akira gasped and glance at the sudden abnormality of the situation around him with surprise, confusion and unease on his face while Minato glance calmly around him.

Akira then noticed bright blue flames mysteriously appear in the middle of the road before the flames turned into the figure of a man with wings behind him then bright orange flames appear and burned within the blue flames and formed into what appear to be slitted-eyes and a wide, wicked smile before it disappear to reveal another face that make Akira gasped again and widened his eyes in shock and fear. He saw his own face with his eyes bright yellow in colour instead of gray and smiling a wide, wicked smile on his face while Minato winced and hold the left side of his head with his hand when he felt the familiar stirring of his persona briefly awaken from within him.

The next second, time resumed and the people and vehicles around Minato and Akira continue to walked and drive on down the street and road as if nothing had happened while the dark blue flames bearing the form of the winged man, the bright orange flames and his different-looking face that Akira just saw burning in the middle of the road vanished without a trace while the persona inside Minato went back to sleep.

“ _Whatever it is I just saw must have been my imagination._ ” thought Akira with a shrug of his shoulders before he glance down at his phone, saw that the icon had reverted back to it’s miniature size before he tapped the icon with his finger to move it down to the trashcan icon at the bottom of his phone and watched as it shrunk and fall into the trashcan icon and out of his sight before he put his phone back in his pocket and turned to glance at Minato. “So, where are you going now, Arisato-san?” asked Akira.

“Oh, just going to an apartment building to stay with a prosecutor and her younger sister. And what about you?” Minato answer Akira’s question before he asked him a question.

“Me? I’ll be living with some guy named Sojiro Sakura.” replied Akira.

“I see. Well, see you then, Kurusu-kun.” said Minato.

“Yeah sure. See you, Arisato-san.” said Akira before they turned and walked away in different direction toward the places that they’ll be staying in for the year.


	2. Chapter 2

After Minato bade farewell and walked away from the guy named Akira Kurusu, he started looking around for anyone who fit the description of a prosecutor working for the government and his guardian for the year among the people walking and talking around him until he heard the voice of a woman calling his name from behind.

“Arisato-kun? Are you Minato Arisato-kun?” said the woman’s voice from behind Minato and he turned around and saw a tall and fair-skinned, red-eyed woman with long grey hair parted down on the left side of her face, wearing a long sleeve black turtleneck shirt with a long sleeve black blazer suit over it, long black pants, black socks and heels on her legs and holding a black bag on her left shoulder.

“ _Hm, so this is the prosecutor woman named Sae Niijima that will be taking care of me for the year, huh? In a way, she reminds me of Mitsuru-senpai but with a much colder feeling in her._ ” thought Minato curiously then concernly in his mind before he bowed and greeted politely to her. “Yes, that’s right. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hm, you’re certainly polite enough, Arisato-kun. My name’s Sae Niijima, your guardian for the year. Well then, shall we be off, Arisato-kun? My car is parked nearby and you must be exhausted from the train ride and from your recent awakening from your coma.” said Sae after she introduced herself to Minato before she turned, walked toward her car with Minato following silently after her and they get into the car and Sae started her car and drove away from Shibuya.

After almost an hour of silent driving down the tightly packed streets of one of Tokyo’s major city, both Sae and Minato eventually arrived inside the basement under one of the expensive-looking apartment complex before Sae turned off her car before both she and Minato got out and they walked toward and into a room where the elevators are before Sae pressed a button and both she and Minato got into the elevator, went up to the designated floor, got off and they walked forward down a hallway and stopped in front of a door before Sae take out her keys to opened the door and they went in.

Once both Sae and Minato stepped into the apartment and Sae closed the door behind them, Minato take a thorough look at the place around him and saw that it’s quite large and expensive with the kitchen/dining room to the right, the living room to the left and a hallway in front of them leading down toward 2 doors on the right and 2 doors on the left.

“Well, this will be your home until next year, Arisato-kun. Now come along so that I can show you which one is your room.” said Sae coolly to Minato as she take off her shoes and walked down the hallway toward the 4 doors.

“I see. And thanks, Niijima-san.” said Minato as he nodded to Sae before he take off his shoes and followed after Sae before they stopped in front of one of the door on the left and Minato watched as Sae opened it and they went in. Once both Minato and Sae stepped into the room, Minato saw that the room is quite similar to the room that he used to stay back in the dormitory building in Tatsumi Port Island years ago but with several sealed boxes in the middle of the room that he knew consists of his belongings.

“This will be your room plus your stuffs arrived yesterday so you’re free to unpack. The room next to yours is the bathroom while the 2 doors opposite yours and the bathroom is mine and Makoto’s room.” Sae said and explained to Minato before she turned her head to give him a stern glare. “And let me add a warning to you, Arisato-kun. If either I or my sister caught you inside our rooms then we won’t hesitate to kicked you out, is that clear to you?” said Sae sternly to Minato.

“Yes, very clear, Niijima-san. I’ll bear that in mind.” said Minato as he nodded in acknowledgement to Sae’s warning.

“Good. Anyway, now that you’re here, why don’t you unpack your stuffs then go to bed early. Because tomorrow I’ll be taking you to Shujin Academy to introduced and enrolled you, the school that you’ll be attending tomorrow.” Sae said and explain further to Minato (who nodded again to her, which satisfied her) before she took a key out of her right pocket, held it out to him and he took it from her and put it into his right pocket. “That’s one of the apartment keys that you have there so don’t ever lose it, alright, Arisato-kun?”

“Yeah, I know, Niijima-san.” said Minato as he nodded again to Sae, who glance at him for another moment before she turned and left the room. After Sae left the room, Minato wasted no time in unpacking, taking out and putting his stuffs into a cupboard and on the table until he’s done before he lie down on his back on the single-sized bed and glance up at the ceiling.

“ _I wonder what kind of help that I’ll be doing for the latest Wild Card user and others plus forging new bonds with them that I haven’t met yet this coming year……… Whatever it is and whoever they are, I’ll try to help them if that’s what you want me to do, Elizabeth. But for now, I guess I should start sleeping so that I can wake up early tomorrow to head to Shujin Academy with Niijima-san._ ” thought Minato tiredly in his mind before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Right after Sae picked up, brought Minato back to the apartment where she and her younger sister live in from Shibuya and show him to his room before she left him and head to the living room. Just as she was about to sit down and take a look and review about the latest psychotic breakdown case in the file folder on the table, her phone started ringing and she take it out of her pants pocket, saw that it’s from her SIU Director and she answer and talked to him for a while before she bade farewell to the Director and turned off her phone just as her sister came home.

“I’m back, sis!” said Makoto as she closed the door and came into the living room.

“Welcome back, Makoto. Although you were quite late in coming back today. I take it that you’re busy with your student council duty at school?” asked Sae with a small smile on her face.

“Yeah, you’re right, sis.” replied Makoto as she put her schoolbag down on one of the couches before she turned and head to the kitchen to begin cooking some simple omelette rice for her and her older sister. “So, sis, I noticed that there’s an extra pair of shoes for a guy in the cabinet near the front door. Did that guy who’s going to be staying with us for the year came today?” asked Makoto curiously to Sae.

“Yeah, he did. His name’s Minato Arisato and I’ll be taking and enrolling him to Shujin tomorrow before he’ll start his third-year of school on Monday. And I’ve already gave him some fair warning as he stays here, though.” replied Sae.

“I see. So what was Arisato-kun like and will you be alright in keeping an eye on him?” asked Makoto concernly to Sae (which surprises her a little). “I mean, you’re already very busy with the recent cases of psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns of people and taking care of me at the same time………”

“It’s fine and I’ll be alright and as for what Arisato-kun was like, he’s seem quite the mature and quiet guy for his age and as long as he abide by my warning and caused no trouble then everything should be fine.” replied Sae as she shrugged her shoulders.

“I see.” said Makoto as she fell silent and kept on cooking the omelette rice until it’s done, put the omelette rice into two plates and ate with Sae until they’re both done eating and Makoto bring and wash the plates before she and Sae take their baths then head to their rooms, went in and fell asleep.

XXXX

**The next day………**

When Minato woke up the next day, he got off the bed, take off his pajamas and put on his casual yet nostalgic clothes (which is a short sleeve white T-shirt with a long sleeve button up thin black jacket over it, long grey pants and brown shoes on his feet) before he heard someone knocking on the door and he unlocked and opened the door and saw that it’s Sae-san.

“Good morning, Arisato-kun. Good to see that you’re already up and this room doesn’t look bad after you cleaned it and unpack your stuffs.” said Sae with a nod of her head to Minato.

“Good morning, Niijima-san. And thanks for the compliment.” said Minato as he nodded politely to her.

“Alright, now come along and have breakfast with me and Makoto before I bring you to Shujin Academy to enrolled you.” said Sae in a firm and serious tone of voice to Minato before she turned and walked down the hallway toward the dining room. Minato stepped out and closed the door behind him before he followed after Sae toward the dining room and he soon saw Makoto sitting and finish eating her plate of bacons, toasts and scrambled eggs at the dining table before she glance at him.

“Good morning and nice to meet you, Minato Arisato-kun.” greeted Makoto politely to him.

“Yeah, nice to meet you too, Makoto Niijima-san.” greeted Minato politely back to Makoto.

“ _Sis was right, he does seem like the polite, mature and quiet type of guy. I hope that he’s stays that way and not give more trouble to my sister and if he did, he’ll be sorry about it. Or maybe I could keep an eye on him tomorrow after he’s enrolled into Shujin Academy since I’m the student council president there._ ” thought Makoto to herself as she gave a small smile to Minato before she stood up, picked up and take her plate to the sink, wash it then wipe it dry with a cloth before she turned and left the dining room and head into her room.

“ _So that’s Niijima-san’s younger sister, Makoto Niijima, huh? She seems quite the intelligent and pretty girl but she also seems like the type of person who knew about other people doing bad things to others but turn a blind eye to them and also had no choice but to do what adults told her to do before it escalated into more rubbish or trouble._ ” thought Minato as he glance analytically at Makoto as she head back into her room and closed the door before he and Sae sat down and ate their plates of bacons, toasts and scrambled eggs until they finish them before taking and putting the plates in the sink before they bade farewell to Makoto and left the apartment, went down the stairs to Sae’s car and they both went into the car and Sae started the engine before she drove out of the apartment and toward Shujin Academy.


	4. Chapter 4

Once both Sae and Minato stopped by the side of the road near Shujin Academy, Sae turned off the car engine before she and Minato stepped out of the car, went down a street and toward and into Shujin Academy.

“ _So this is the school where I will attend for my third and final year of student life, huh? As expected of an elite boarding school as large and up-to-date as my previous Gekkoukan high school back in Port Island but for some reason……… it gave off an unpleasant feeling of being in a prison for immates._ ” thought Minato to himself as he take a throughout and solemn look of the interior of the school while he followed Sae up the stairs and into the principal’s office to meet the principal and his homeroom teacher (who’s a short black-haired, brown-eyed man wearing a grey business suit and matching pants with a black necktie around his neck and brown shoes on his feet).

“ _Good God! This is the first time that I’ve seen such a bald-headed and overweight man like him in my entire life, even worse than my previous principal by fat standards. As for the man who’ll be my homeroom teacher standing next to him, he seems slightly troubled but decent enough, at least._ ” added Minato with a calm look on his face while he mentally grimaced in disgust after seeing the principal.

“Greetings to you, Minato Arisato-kun, correct? We’ve received and heard about how you went from one school after another and managed to have excellent scores on each schools that you attend before coming here and also on how you lose your parents and nearly lose your life in an accident more than 10 years ago on a bridge in another city called Port Island.” said Principal Kobayakawa pityingly to Minato (which make him twitch his eyebrow in annoyance a little at him for talking out loud about his parents accident and death and about his life after that) before he gave a small, polite smile to him. “Regardless of your circumstances, we will be sure to welcome you to Shujin Academy with open arms, Arisato-kun.” added Principal Kobayakawa to Minato before he glance at the man standing to his right. “Before I forget, this man will be in charge of your class.”

“Hello and the name’s Kyosuke Kanakubo, your homeroom teacher for the year.” said the teacher as he introduced himself while giving a small polite bow to Minato before he take something out of his pocket and hold it out to him. “And here’s your student ID, make sure that you don’t lose it and don’t forget to read and obey the school’s rules and when you came to school tomorrow, come to the faculty office to meet me so I can take you to your classroom, understand, Arisato-kun?”

“Yeah, I understand, sensei.” said Minato as he take his student ID and nodded to Kanakubo-sensei.

“As much as I hate to be rude but are you all done and can Arisato-kun and I get going now? I’m sure you know how busy I am as a prosecutor, principal.” said Sae in an annoy tone of voice to Principal Kobayakawa.

“Oh, of course, Niijima-san. Sorry to take up your time. But I must say, it’s quite commendable of you to look after a promising young man like him other than your equally promising younger sister, especially at your age!” said Principal Kobayakawa as he smiled a bit widely at Sae (who scoff and ignore his words).

“ _Ugh, geez, now he’s trying to suck up to Niijima-san to get on her good side? And he call himself a principal? I just can't believe it._ ” thought Minato, feeling disappointed at the principal’s action and words before both he and Sae bade farewell to both principal Kobayakawa then they turned around, walked out of the office, went down the stairs to the front entrance and left Shujin Academy.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, in the courtyard of Shujin Academy………**

Soon after both Sae and Minato leave Shujin Academy, Kyosuke Kanakubo left the principal’s office, went down the stairs and bumped into Sadayo Kawakami (who had a tired and solemn look on her face) before they decided to went out through the door of the school building and walked across the courtyard toward the practice building.

“Hey, Kawakami-sensei. I’ve just heard about your troublesome situation. Too bad for you, isn’t it?” said a slightly deep male voice from in front of Kawakami and Kanakubo, causing them to glance up at her fellow teacher (a tall, slightly tan-skinned, dark brown-eyed, broad-looking man with short black wavy hair and a broad, square jawline while he wore a short sleeve white sport T-shirt, long dark blue trousers with white stripes on it, white shoes on his feet and had a whistle around his neck).

“I can’t believe that principal Kobayakawa would pushed someone with a record on me. A male teacher would be better suited for this………” said Kawakami with a tired frown look on her face before she glance at Kanakubo. “I heard that you’ve also got yourself a transfer student too, Kanakubo-san. Is there any chance that we could switch transfer students, you can have mine while I have yours?” added Kawakami in a slight pleading tone of voice to Kanakubo.

“Sorry to say this but we can’t do that, Kawakami-san.” said Kanakubo with a shake of his head to Kawakami.

“Well, it was worth a shot.” sighed Kawakami.

“Why in the world was someone like that admitted here?” sighed the male teacher as he briefly close his eyes, lowered his head and put his hands on his hips in disapproval.

“Who knows? It was the principal’s decision……… I was told that it’s for the school’s reputation.” said Kawakami.

“And here I thought that my volleyball team has contributed more than enough to cover that.” said the male teacher as he straighten himself and glance at Kawakami.

“That’s certainly true.” said Kawakami in agreement to the male teacher.

“ _Yeah right. More like increasing your ego and others instead of contributing for the school._ ” thought Kanakubo as he mentally scowled at the male teacher.

“Be careful, OK?” said the male teacher in a concern tone of voice to Kawakami as he raised, moved and stretch his arms a little. “Then again, if anything were to happen, I’d kick out a student like that right away.”

“I guess we’ll see on how he’s like. I kept wishing that he’d just end up not coming to school. Still, that’s not something I should be saying as a teacher………” said Kawakami as she run her hand through her hair and shake her head a little.

“Don’t worry, Kawakami-san. Who knows, maybe he’s not as bad as he look.” Said Kanakubo reassuringly to Kawakami (who glance and smile a little at him).

“Yeah, he’s got a point, Kawakami. Well, I should be getting back to practice now.” said the male teacher.

“Oh, that’s right. The tournament’s coming up, isn’t it?” said Kawakami.

“Hehe, having such high expectations placed on you by others is quite the problem in itself. We’ll have to work hard to make up for the track team too.” said the male teacher before he chuckled and smiled widely at Kawakami.

“Yes……… that’s true.” said Kawakami as she nodded tiredly to the male teacher (who nodded back to her before he turned and walked down the left courtyard). “Why’d it have to be my class………? Then again, it’s better than him being in Suguru Kamoshida’s class. Well then, I’ll be going too. See you, Kanakubo-san.” Kawakami added to herself before she and Kanakubo bade farewell to each other before Kawakami walked down the courtyard toward the practice building while Kanakubo turned and walked down the left courtyard.


	5. Chapter 5

**In the Niijima's apartment home.........**

“Welcome home, Sis and Arisato-kun.” greeted Makoto to both Sae and Minato at the door after they came back from Shujin Academy.

“We’re back, Makoto. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to the kitchen to have a cup of coffee before I leave to do my job.” Sae greeted back to Makoto before she walked past her and head toward the kitchen.

“Sure, Sis.” said Makoto as she (and Minato) watched her head toward the kitchen before she glance back at Minato. “So, how was your re-enrollment into Shujin Academy, Arisato-kun?” asked Makoto.

“Well, it’s at least as big and up-to-date as my previous school in Port Island, the homeroom teacher, Kanakubo-sensei looks troubled but decent enough but as for the principal………” said Minato with a calm look on his face to Makoto about the school and his homeroom teacher before a disgust look replaced his calm look when he spoke about the principal.

“O-Oh, I see. Well, glad to know that you like Shujin Academy and your homeroom teacher and I know how you feel when you see principal Kobayakawa but I’m sure you’ll get use to him.” said Makoto.

“……… I doubt that I will but I’ll do my best.” muttered Minato under his breath.

“Well, I’ll be going now, Makoto, Arisato-kun. And sorry but it looks like I won’t be back tonight.” said Sae apologetically to Makoto.

“O-Oh, okay.” said Makoto with a sad look on her face. “What about tomorrow? Wil you be back?” asked Makoto.

“Hopefully.” replied Sae before she glance sternly at Minato. “I hope you still remember about my warning if you attempt to enter mine or Makoto’s rooms, is that clear to you?” said Sae with a warning glare look on her face to Minato (who nodded to her) before she left.

“So, uh, Arisato-kun………” said Makoto before she got cut off by Minato.

“Sae-san looks really stressed. Guess her job and life as a prosecutor and also looking after and taking care of you, her younger sister and now me must be running her ragged, huh?” said Minato calmly to Makoto.

“Uh, yes. You’re right about that, Arisato-kun.” said Makoto with a slight surprise look on her face. “So, back to my question. Do you need me to show you around school tomorrow?” asked Makoto.

“No, that won’t be necessary, Niijima-san. I’m sure I’ll be fine and right now I think I’m going to bed because I’m feeling a bit tired, good night, Niijima-san.” replied Minato politely to Makoto.

“I see. Good night then, Arisato-kun.” said Makoto as she watched Minato walked past her toward his room, went in and closed the door before she went into her own room and began studying.

XXXX

**Inside Minato’s room………**

After Minato stepped into his room, closed the door and sat down on his bed, he take out his phone with the intention to check and called his old SEES friends and teammates but before he could do so, he saw with a surprise then frown look on his face at the same red and black app on his phone that he saw on the phone of the other guy named Akira Kurusu yesterday.

“ _Why is this app that I saw on Kurusu-kun’s phone yesterday is doing on my phone now? Well, no matter. Because I’m going to delete it………_ ” thought Minato to himself before the familiar figure of Pharos (who’s a small pale-skinned, light blue-eyed, short and wavy black-haired boy wearing black and white stripes long sleeve shirt and pants and had a small black beauty spot below his left eye) suddenly appear in front of him.

“Hey, it’s been a while, old friend. And I wouldn’t delete that app if I were you.” said Pharos as he gave a small, polite smile to Minato (who glance at him with a surprise then blank look on his face).

“Pharos! How and why are you here?” asked Minato.

“How and why am I here, you ask? Can’t a friend came to visit and see another friend?” said Pharos with a sad look on his face now.

“N-No, that’s not what I mean. What I mean is how are you here now, Pharos? I thought that you were sealed along with Nyx after you merged with her at the top of Tartarus years ago.” said Minato.

“Oh, I see.” said Pharos as he smiled in understanding now. “Well, that velvet room lady, Elizabeth resealed me back within you after she uses all of the strong bonds that you had with your friends plus a chunk of her power to freed and replaced you as the Seal.” explained Pharos.

“What, so she not only uses the bonds I have with my friends to replaced me as the Seal, she also resealed you back inside me? So that feeling I felt yesterday with that Kurusu guy………” said Minato with a thoughtful look on his face.

“That might have been me briefly woke up from within you or it might have been your other persona, Orpheus, Minato.” said Pharos before he glance at Minato’s phone, specifically the red and black app on it. “Anyways, back to what I say before, you must not delete that app that just appear on your phone, Minato.” added Pharos in a slight warning tone of voice to Minato.

“And why shouldn’t I, Pharos?” asked Minato, confused.

“Because that app will be a huge help to you in helping out the latest Wild Card user and the others soon enough, Minato. That’s all I can say to you and we’ll meet and talk again soon.” replied Pharos as he smiled again at Minato before he fade away into thin air.

“ _This app will be a huge help to me soon enough, huh? Well then, I’ll not delete it then and I’ll meet and talk to you again soon, Pharos._ ” thought Minato to himself before he stood up, turned off and put his phone down on the desk (and thinking that he'll check and called them some other time), change into his pajamas and fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**In the SIU Director’s office………**

Inside a large, expensive and well-furnished office of the director of SIU company, an elderly, almost bald-headed, grey-eyed man wearing a dark blue business suit, black shoes and glasses on his face as he sat in his black leather chair behind his desk and Sae Niijima (who stands near the front of his desk) watched the latest news report of a subway train accident in Shibuya Station that caused no more than 80 people being gravely injured and killed on the flat-screen TV on the wall in front of them both.

“It’s less of an operating accident and more of a crime of the company and the government.” said the director of SIU in a displeased tone of voice to Sae standing near the desk as they continue to watched the news report. “Site inspectors apparently reported all of this 6 months ago – the deterioration of the tracks and the ATC. Seems the railway company and the Ministry of Transport both turned a blind eye to the truth. There’s no way they can hide. This will go all the way to the top.” the director added to Sae before he fell silent as the news report started to report a series of other accidents that had happened recently in other different places in Tokyo.

“Everything’s linked – that’s what you’re thinking, correct?” the director asked Sae (who didn’t answer his question and is still watching the news report) before he smiled, closed his eyes and lowered his head a little. “……… Ah well. Are you free? You and I haven’t gone for a drink for a while.”

“Thank you, sir. But I have another meeting to attend to with Mitsuyoshi. I must be going now.” said Sae as she turned to glance and smiled politely to the director before she bowed to him, turned and left his office.

After Sae walked out of the office, she saw and smiled warmly at a short black-haired, amber-eyed man (named Mitsuyoshi Tokugawa) wearing a black and white business suit and black shoes on his feet and the man smiled warmly back at Sae when he saw her.

“Hello, Sae. Are you ready for the meeting that we’re about to attend?” asked Mitsuyoshi.

“Yes, I am, Mitsuyoshi. Let’s go.” replied Sae.

“Of course, Sae.” said Mitsuyoshi as he and Sae turned and began walking down the corridor together. “So, I’ve heard that you’ve just taken in and looking after a young boy named Minato Arisato, isn’t it, Sae? How is he like?” asked Mitsuyoshi.

“He seems like a smart and quiet sort of boy and he’s behaving himself after I gave him some warning and he’ll attending Shujin Academy with my sister tomorrow.” replied Sae.

“Is that so, Sae? You know, why don’t you try to trust him a little bit more instead of being suspicious of him?” said Mitsuyoshi.

“And why would I do that, Mitsuyoshi?” asked Sae as she narrowed her eyes at him.

“I said try, Sae. I didn’t say that you should trust him immediately and completely.” replied Mitsuyoshi firmly to her.

“………I’ll think about it.” said Sae to Mitsuyoshi before they stop talking while walking down the stairs leading down toward the front entrance of the SIU building, they saw a young, slightly fair-skinned, reddish-brown eyed guy with chin-length light brown hair with some bangs covering his forehead and wearing a white dress shirt with a long-sleeve tan peacoat with black buttons on it over the shirt, striped black and white necktie around his neck, black gloves on his hands, long black trousers and black shoes on his legs standing with his back leaning against the railing of the stairs at the foot of the staircase while he holds a white briefcase in his left hand and a dark red smartphone in his right hand.

“Hello, Sae-san and Mitsuyoshi-san. Did you ask for me? Is it about the new case?” the young guy asked both Sae and Mitsuyoshi as he noticed and turned to greeted them with a smile while he put his phone in his pants pocket.

“Not quite, Goro Akechi. I want your opinion on something.” replied Sae briskly as she walked past him.

“Sure. Your judgement is quite often correct, though. Can we discuss this over sushi, perhaps? You’re making a student work late after all.” said the guy named Goro Akechi as he turned and glance at her (which make Mitsuyoshi sighed and scowled at him).

“Is that why you’re waiting for us here, Akechi-kun? You wanted us to treat you to dinner?” said Mitsuyoshi.

“N-No, that’s not it, Mitsuyoshi-san!” said Goro nervously to him.

“Conveyor belt, only.” said Sae without looking back at Goro.

“Awww………” groaned Goro in disappointment.

“Stop groaning, Akechi-kun.” said Mitsuyoshi disapprovingly at Goro before they walked out of the SIU building.

XXXX

**The next day………**

Minato woke up early the next day, take a bath and dry himself up before he put on his new Shujin Academy uniform in his room before he left his room, greeted, helped and had breakfast with Makoto before they grabbed their bags, left the apartment and make their way toward the subway station and got on the train with the other students and passengers that will take them to Aoyama-Itchome where Shujin Academy is.

Once the train that bring both Minato, Makoto and the other passengers arrived and stopped in the station of Aoyama-Itchome, they had a bit of trouble getting off the train due to the packed passengers walking out around them but they managed to get out, make their way out of the station, down the street and they arrived and entered the school with the other students, went up the stairs to the third floor and entered the faculty office to meet and greeted their homeroom teacher, Kanakubo-sensei before he stood up and bring them out of the faculty room, turned right to head toward and entered a classroom.

Right after they entered the classroom, Makoto immediately walked away from Minato and Kanakubo-sensei toward her seat and sat down next to a fair-skinned, short shoulder-length puffy pink-haired, pink-eyed girl wearing a long sleeve pale pink sweater with long white pants and black shoes on her feet (who smiled and greeted Makoto and she smiled and greeted back to her) while Kanakubo-sensei take his place at the podium and Minato wrote down his name on the blackboard before he turned and glance at the students.

“Quiet down now, class. Before we begin, I’d like to introduce this new transfer student here. Go on.” said Kanakubo-sensei to the class before he glance at Minato.

“Hello, my name’s Minato Arisato. It’s nice to meet you all.” said Minato as he introduced himself to the class.

“ _Just like before when you introduced yourself back in Gekkoukan, huh, Minato?_ ” said Pharos’s voice inside Minato’s mind.

“ _Not exactly, Pharos. There’s a difference._ ” said Minato mentally to Pharos.

“ _Oh? Different how?_ ” asked Pharos.

“ _During my time back in Gekkoukan, the students are friendly and didn’t gossip or talk bad about others too much but here in Shujin, the students look suspicious, distrustful and tense and now I can hear them whispering and talking about me. Listen._ ” replied Minato with a slight annoy look on his face.

“That’s one of the transfer students enrolling into Shujin?” said a short black-haired male student.

“He looks like one of those emo-wannabe guys. And what’s the deal with his blue hair?” said another short black-haired male student.

“He seems quite the cute and mysterious type of guy. Don’t you think so?” asked a long brown-haired female student to her friend sitting next to her.

“Yeah, I agreed. Maybe we’ll talk to him and see if he wants to hang out with us after school ends.” replied the long black-haired female student back to her friend.

“At least it’s him instead of the other troublesome transfer student that came to our class.” said a short dark brown-haired female student.

“ _Oh, you’re right, Minato. Looks like this year won’t be easy but then again, that’s no problem for you, isn’t it?_ ” said Pharos.

“ _Yep._ ” said Minato.

“Well then, Arisato-kun. Why don’t you take that seat over there, next to Okumura-kun?” Kanakubo-sensei told Minato as he raised and pointed his finger at the empty spot next to a slightly tan-skinned, short black-haired, black-eyed guy wearing the same uniform as Minato and the other male students before Minato nodded and make his way toward his seat and sat down. Right after Minato sat down, the boy sitting next to him glance and began talking to him.

“Excuse me, I know that the whispering of the students in this class is annoying but try not to let it get to you, alright, Arisato-kun?” said the boy.

“Don’t worry, I already don’t mind but thanks for telling me about it anyway.” said Minato.

“Is that so? I’m glad to hear it then. Oh and I’m Hanzo Okumura, nice to meet you, Arisato-kun.” said the boy as he introduced himself to Minato.

“Yeah, nice to meet you, Okumura-kun.” said Minato as he smiled politely to Hanzo.

“Oh, there’s no need for you to call me by my last name, Arisato-kun. You can call me Hanzo.” said Hanzo as he smiled back at Minato.

“In that case, you can call me Minato then, Hanzo-kun.” said Minato before both he and Hanzo fell silent and listen to the lecture of Kanakubo-sensei.


	7. Chapter 7

**After school.........**

As the final bell rang out in the school and Kanakubo-sensei bade farewell to the students and left the class, Minato stood up and packed up his bag.

“So, what do you think about your first day here, Minato-kun?” asked Hanzo as he glance at Minato.

“I think it’s fine and I’ll manage, Hanzo-kun.” replied Minato.

“Are you done packing your school’s stuff, Hanzo? And isn’t he the new transfer student named Minato Arisato?” said the short, fluffy pink-haired girl as she approach Hanzo before she glance curiously at Minato.

“Yes, I’m done now and you’re right about him, Haru. Minato-kun, may I introduced to you my twin sister, Haru Okumura.” said Hanzo as he glance back and forth between Minato and the short, fluffy pink-haired girl before he introduced her to him.

“Hello. It’s nice to meet you, Arisato-kun.” greeted Haru politely to Minato.

“Yeah, likewise. And there’s no need for you to call me Arisato-kun. You may call me by my first name Minato, Okumura-san.” said Minato as he smiled politely back to Haru.

“Okay then, Minato-kun. You may call me Haru then.” said Haru to Minato (who nodded to her) before both she and Hanzo bade farewell to him and they left the classroom. Soon after Hanzo and Haru left the classroom, Makoto came into the classroom, walked toward her seat and began packing up her bag with a troubled look on her face.

“Is something wrong, Niijima-san? You look troubled.” asked Minato as he approach and noticed the troubled look on her face.

“……… I guess you can say that, Arisato-kun. I’ve just heard and found out from some of my fellow student council members that the criminal record of the other transfer student named Akira Kurusu has been leaked into the school’s website for all the students to see.” sighed Makoto sadly to Minato (who gaped and widened his eyes in surprise).

“What!? But how can that be, Niijima-san? Isn’t that kind of info should be kept under wraps only to the school’s faculty? Unless……… the one who leaked the criminal record info of Akira Kurusu into the website for all the students to see is one of the teachers.” said Minato with an annoy look on his face.

“B-But that can’t be! No teacher would do such a thing to Akira Kurusu.” said Makoto in disbelief to Minato.

“Are you sure about that, Niijima-san? What if I’m right about it?” said Minato slightly sternly to Makoto.

“………If you’re right about it, then………” said Makoto before she fell silent and shake her head ruefully. “Anyway, let’s hope that it’ll blows over and the students will forget and ceased talking about it. Let us go home now, Arisato-kun.” sighed Makoto.

“……… Fine.” said Minato in disappointment at Makoto before they left the classroom, left the school (while ignoring the students gossiping about them) and walked toward the station and take the train home. After a while, the train that both Minato and Makoto were on arrived and stopped in the station before they got off the train with the other passengers, left the station and make their way back to the apartment building, walked up the stairs and went into the apartment and Makoto went into her room to do her usual studying thing while Minato went into his room, ready to have a conversation with Pharos (who appear immediately in front of him).

“Alright, let’s talk, Pharos. What do you mean when you say that Kamoshida-sensei is corrupted, had a Palace inside him and that I should be cautious of him?” asked Minato as he glance at Pharos.

Pharos smiled before he began talking and explaining to Minato about corrupted people that had Palaces within them filled with their distorted desires, cognitions and shadows, about the red and black app on his phone that allows him to enter Palaces provided that he knew and type the right keywords into it and that some people who had strong and rebellious wills within them is able to withstand and prevent Palace distortions from affecting them.

Minato listen attentively to what Pharos told him until he’s done then he vanish again and Minato (who decided to put calling and informing his SEES teammates/friends about his return on hold for now) left the room to have a quiet dinner with Makoto before he help her wash the dishes, take their baths separately and change into their pajamas in their rooms before they fell asleep.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, in the Velvet Room………**

The sounds of chains rattling and of the water dripping into the toilet woke Akira up and he saw that he’s back in the Velvet Room before he got up from the wooden bed that he’s lying on.

“……… About time you’ve come to. On your feet, Inmate!” snapped Caroline to Akira as she slammed her metal rod hard against the bars of his cell door.

“Our master wishes to speak with you. It’s for your own sake that you take his words to heart.” said Justine coolly to Akira, who sighed and nodded before he stood up and turned to glance at Igor.

“First off, let us celebrate our reunion. Oh………? You’ve awakened to your powers. And special ones at that. Therefore, your rehabilitation can finally begin.” said Igor happily at Akira.

“You knew that I’ve awaken to my power? How do you know that?” asked Akira in disbelief to Igor.

“There is no need to understand it all for the time being. You will be training the power of Persona, which you’ve just awakened to.” said Igor, ignoring his question.

“And just what is this power of “Persona”?” Akira asked Igor again.

“Personas are, in other words, a “mask”- an armor of the heart when confronting worldly matters. I have high expectations for you.” replied Igor.

“What? Hell no! I didn’t ask to be here and to have this “Persona” power that you force on me! Take it back now!” snapped Akira as he glared at Igor.

“Silence, you ungrateful inmate!” snapped Caroline as she slammed her rod hard against the cell door for the second time to silence Akira.

“It’s alright, Caroline. And there is no need for you to be worry. You will know and learn when the time comes.” said Igor calmly at Akira, unfazed at his outburst after he told Caroline that it’s fine. “By the by……… it would seems that a resurrected “Messiah” have appear. I hope that you’ll be friends with him because he’ll be a tremendous help in your rehabilitation and also, have you come to appreciate the “Metaverse Navigator”?” asked Igor.

“What “Metaverse Navigator”?” asked Akira in confusion to Igor before he realised what he mean. “Wait, are you talking about the creepy-looking app on my phone? And who is this resurrected “Messiah” guy that’s going to a big help in my rehabilitation?”

“Indeed. Using it will allow you to come and go between reality and Palaces. I bestowed it to you as a means to train you as a thief. And as for the “Messiah”, you’ll see him soon enough tomorrow.” replied Igor.

“ _So you’re the one who put the app on my phone! And thanks for the vague answer about this “Messiah” guy!_ ” thought Akira in sarcasm and annoyance at Igor.

“The Metaverse Navigator is a gift from our master! You better take care in using it, inmate!” explained Caroline haughtily at Akira.

“Devote yourself diligently to your training so that you may become a fine thief. And be sure that you meet, be friends and recruit the “Messiah”.” added Justine coolly to Akira.

“It must be disheartening for you to make use of the Metaverse Navigator alone. Should there be others who would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well. This is all for you to grow as a most excellent thief………” said Igor to Akira before they heard the sound of the alarm bell ringing again.

“Hmph, it’s time. Go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have………” said Caroline as she sneer at Akira before he felt himself started to get very tired and he stagger and fell back onto the wooden bed and slipped into unconsciousness.


	8. Chapter 8

**The next day………**

Both Minato and Makoto woke up early the next day, had their baths separately and dry themselves up and put on their uniforms before they greeted each other, had their breakfast before they grabbed their bags and left the apartment to head toward the subway station while Akira himself also woke up, do the same thing they did before he greeted Sojiro Sakura (the owner of Leblanc café), ate and finish the plate of curry and cup of coffee that Sojiro cooked and brewed for him before he bade farewell to him and left Leblanc to head toward the subway station as well.

When Minato, Makoto and Akira got off the train and left the station to head toward and entered Shujin Academy, entered their classroom and spend the rest of the day listening to the lectures of their teachers until school ends, Minato packed up his school’s stuff into his bag (while Makoto left to head up to the student council room for her duty and both Hanzo and Haru also left after they bade farewell to him), left the classroom and he stopped when he saw Akira coming down the stairs and felt the familiar feeling of a persona and the power of the Wild Card emanating from within him as he left the school.

“ _This nostalgic feeling……… Could he be the latest Wild Card user that Elizabeth told me to help out before my resurrection?_ ” thought Minato in surprise to himself.

“ _So you’ve felt it too, huh? And you’re right about him, Akira Kurusu is the latest Wild Card user that you need to help, Minato._ ” Pharos told Minato.

“ _So he’s the one, huh? Well then, I better follow him but keep myself hidden from his sight, Pharos._ ” said Minato.

“ _Good idea, Minato._ ” said Pharos in agreement to Minato before he fell silent.

Minato then left the school in hidden and silent pursuit of Akira, saw him stopped and talk to a slightly tan-skinned, dark brown-eyed, dyed blonde-haired guy wearing a yellow T-shirt that had a comic style dark pink/black star symbol and the word “ZOMG” on it and with an unbuttoned black blazer over his T-shirt, long plaid school trousers rolled up above his ankle and white sneakers on his legs before they both turned and left the school, unaware that Minato’s following behind them. Minato, Akira and the dyed blonde-haired guy spend the next few minutes walking back and forth from the station to the school until the dyed blonde-haired guy groaned and leaned against the wall near the gate while Akira glance at him with a slightly exasperated look on his face and Minato watched them from afar before he listen to their conversation.

“Is it smaller than we think it is?” muttered the dyed blonde-haired guy to himself before he glance at Akira. “What do you think?” asked the dyed blonde-haired guy.

“Hm……… Why don’t you try checking your phone?” suggested Akira.

“My phone?” said the dyed blonde-haired guy as he glance in confusion at Akira.

“ _His phone?_ ” thought Minato in slight confusion to himself.

“We already did that. We didn’t see anything like it around here………” sighed the dyed blonde-haired guy before he trailed off into silence and a realization look appear on his face. “Huh? Phone……… Hey, that reminds me-didn’t you have a navigation app thingy on your phone, back then?” Ryuji asked Akira.

“Yeah, I did.” replied Akira.

“ _Navigation app thingy? Wait a minute……… could they be talking about this red and black app on my phone?_ ” thought Minato as he pull out and glance at the app on his phone.

“Could be, Minato.” said Pharos.

“We dunno if it was or not, but we heard stuff that sounded like one comin’ from your phone. You know, didn’t it say stuff like “returned to the real world” or something like that?” said the dyed blonde-haired guy.

“Yeah, a voice did say that from my phone.” said Akira as he nodded to the dyed blonde-haired guy before he take out his phone, turned it on and started to press buttons on it while the dyed blonde-haired guy approach and watched his phone in silence.

“What’s this eyeball-lookin’ thing?” asked the dyed blonde-haired guy.

“ _Snrk. He called this app an eyeball lookin’ thing._ ” chuckled Pharos.

“ _He’s got a point because it does look like one._ ” said Minato, feeling amused about what the dyed blonde-haired guy just said.

“I don’t know what it is, Sakamoto-kun. It just appeared on my phone one day and no matter how many times I try to delete it, it kept coming back.” replied Akira with a shrug of his shoulders.

“ _I see. So that guy surname is Sakamoto and no matter how many times he try to delete the app, it kept coming back, huh?_ ” thought Minato.

“What? What a weird app……… Wait, could it be?” said Sakamoto before a realization look appear on his face before he pressed the weird app and watched as it opened up to showed it’s history search. “Just as I thought, this app is a navigation app. There’s even a search history in it, Kurusu.”

“Really? What kind of search history, Sakamoto?” asked Akira.

“Does it matter? Let’s try usin’ it.” suggested Sakamoto as he swiftly took the phone from Akira.

“Hey!” said Akira as he scowled at Sakamoto for suddenly taking his phone from his grasp. “Are you sure about this, Sakamoto?” said Akira skeptically at Ryuji.

“ _Now that’s quite rude of him to suddenly take his phone without asking first, don’t you agreed, Minato?_ ” said Pharos to Minato, who nodded in agreement to him.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Kurusu. Don’t worry about it.” said Sakamoto reassuringly to Akira as he tinker with the app on his phone and they soon heard the robotic female voice spoke out from his phone.

“ _Kamoshida……… Shujin Academy……… Pervert……… Castle……… Beginning Navigation._ ” said the robotic female voice.

“ _Did you hear that voice and those words coming from his phone, Minato?_ ” asked Pharos.

“ _Yeah, I did, Pharos._ ” replied Minato.

“There we go!” said Sakamoto excitedly to Akira. “After that, we went in a certain direction, and-” Sakamoto added to Akira before they both felt and noticed with shock looks on their faces that their surroundings started to wavered and turned purple in colour.

“ _What was that just now? And this feeling……… It feels almost like when my teammates and I entered and ascend our way up inside the Tartarus Tower._ ” thought Minato in slight surprise to himself.

“ _Yeah, you’re right. It does feel almost the same inside Tartarus tower._ ” said Pharos in agreement with Minato.

“Hey, what’re you- Huh? What the hell!?” yell Sakamoto as he also glance around and saw Akira saw happening around them both before he glance down at the app (which is expanded and covered Akira’s entire phone screen now) on Akira’s phone with a shock look on his face before the both of them fade away into thin air (which surprises Minato again).

Once Minato saw that both Akira and Sakamoto had vanish into thin air, he immediately glance down at his phone and pressed and type the exact same words into the app on his phone and he watched as the app register and accept the words he type in before it expand and filled up his entire phone screen.

“ _Minato, look, the school!_ ” said Pharos suddenly to him.

“ _Huh?_ ” said Minato as he glance up at the school and gasped in surprise when he saw the school (and his surrounding) started to wavered and change and became a large medieval castle.


	9. Chapter 9

“ _Of all the buildings that this corrupted Kamoshida could think up inside his mind, he choose a castle? Who the hell does he think he is, a freaking king of the castle?_ ” said Minato as he glance up at the castle with an annoy look on his face.

“ _That’s probably how he sees himself in the school, Minato._ ” said Pharos grimly to Minato.

“ _What a twisted teacher._ ” said Minato as he shake his head before he went up the steps into the castle to resumed his search of Akira and Sakamoto and he stopped, crouch down and hide behind some wooden crates when he saw them standing in front of the castle’s entrance. “ _What the hell is Akira Kurusu wearing now instead of his Shujin uniform?_ ” said Minato as he glance in surprise and confusion at Akira wearing a grey high-necked waistcoat with gold accents with a black ankle-length tailcoat over it, long black jogger-style pants with black boots on his feet, bright red gloves on his hands and a black and white birdlike mask on his face.

“ _What he’s wearing now is the outfit of his rebellion and strong will against the rules of a Palace ruler, Minato._ ” explain Pharos.

“ _Is that so, Pharos? Well, I guess it does suit him._ ” said Minato as he shrug his shoulders and watched them in silence.

“We made it back……… That means what happened yesterday was for real too……… Yeargh!” said Sakamoto as he look around the entrance of the castle before he turned around to glance at Akira and suddenly let out a yell and stagger back a few steps with a shock look on his face (which make Akira jumped a little before he glance at him).

“What is it now, Sakamoto-kun? Suddenly yelling out like that?” said Akira in slight exasperation at Sakamoto (who’s still staring at him in shock silence now).

“Kurusu! Your clothes!” said Sakamoto as he raised and pointed a finger at his clothes.

“My clothes?” said Akira in confusion to Sakamoto before he glance down at his clothes and gasped in shock when he saw that he’s now wearing his alternate outfit instead of his school uniform. “What the? I don’t remember changing into this outfit!” said Akira even more in confusion now.

“ _Only now he realised that his clothes have change?_ ” thought Minato as he let out a small sigh.

“That happened last time too, huh!? What’s with that outfit!?” asked Sakamoto.

“I don’t know, Sakamoto-kun!” replied Akira with a shake of his head before he glance at Sakamoto. “Why? You jealous or something?” Akira added teasingly to him.

“I-I ain’t jealous!” yelled Sakamoto in denial at his words. “What’s goin’ on here!? This makes no effin’ sense at all………”

“Hey!” a voice suddenly called out to both Akira and Sakamoto from their left and when they (and Minato) turned to see who is it that called out to them, they saw that it’s the cat-thing that helped them escape yesterday came walking out from behind a corner of the castle toward them and stopped in front of them.

“ _Huh? What the heck is that cat-thing and it can even talk!_ ” said Minato with a surprised look on his face when he saw the cat-thing appear and approach both Akira and Sakamoto.

“ _I don’t know, Minato but I can sense that the essence of humanity’s hope emanating from within that cat-thing._ ” said Pharos.

“ _Essence of humanity hope, huh?_ ” said Minato.

“ _Yeah._ ” said Pharos.

“Stop making a commotion outside the castle.” said the cat-thing sternly to both Akira and Sakamoto.

“Ah……… You!?” said Sakamoto in surprise at the cat-thing.

“What are you doing here, Morgana?” asked Akira.

“The Shadows started acting up, so I came here wondering what it could be, and it turns out to be you two……… To think you two would come back to the entrance when you two barely managed to escape yesterday.” replied the cat-thing named Morgana as he crossed his arms before he felt the presence of another person hiding nearby them. “No, not just you two, I sense the presence of another person somewhere nearby us, in hiding. And whoever it is that’s hiding from us, he or she gives off a very bad feeling, almost like the feeling of Death.” Morgana told both Akira and Sakamoto with a worry look on his face.

“What!?” yell Sakamoto in surprise before he, Akira and Morgana turned and look around the place for the person. “Hey! Whoever it is that’s hiding, show yourself to us now!”

“ _Oh, goddammit! We’ve been found out by them, specifically Morgana, Pharos._ ” sighed Minato.

“ _I’m not surprise that the cat-thing named Morgana sense and found us. If I can sense hope from him then of course he can sense death coming from me within you, Minato._ ” said Pharos.

“ _Guess I’ve got no choice but to show myself now, Pharos._ ” said Minato before he stood up from the wooden crate that he’s hiding behind and approach Akira, Sakamoto (which surprises them when they saw him) and Morgana (who hissed and hide behind Akira).

“Minato Arisato? Why are you here?” asked Akira.

“You know this guy, Kurusu? Wait a minute……… aren’t you the other transfer student that came with Miss Prez?” asked Sakamoto when he recognized him.

“That’s right, I’m the other transfer student that enrolled and came to Shujin Academy with Niijima-san. And as for why I’m here, it’s because of this app that installed itself into my phone.” Minato answer their questions before he take out his phone and show them the app in it, which surprises them again.

Akira, Ryuji (who introduced himself to Minato) and Morgana then talk some more with Minato about whether he should leave or stay with them and Minato choose the latter choice without hesitation to them and they grudgingly let him before they turned and glance at Morgana.

“What is this place?……… Is it the school?” asked Ryuji.

“That’s right.” replied Morgana as he nodded to Ryuji.

“But it’s a castle!” yell Ryuji in disbelief to Morgana.

“For christ sake, pipe down already, Ryuji!” snapped Minato as he scowled at Ryuji for yelling.

“This castle IS the school……… But only to this castle’s ruler.” explained Morgana.

“The castle’s ruler………?” said both Akira and Ryuji in confused unison to Morgana.

“You must mean Kamoshida, am I right, Morgana?” said Minato.

“Yeah, you’re right, Minato.” replied Morgana as he nodded to Minato before he explained even more to both Akira and Ryuji. “This castle is how his distorted heart views the school.”

“Kamoshida……… Distorted………? Explain it in a way that makes sense!” muttered Ryuji even more in confusion at Morgana’s words before he scowled and demanded Morgana to explain clearly to him, Akira and Minato.

“ _This Ryuji guy is quite the impatient one, Minato._ ” sighed Pharos.

“ _Yeah, he sure is._ ” said Minato in agreement with Pharos.

“I shouldn’t have expected a moron to get it………” said Morgana as he glance at Ryuji with an unimpressed look on his face.

“What’d you say!?” yell Ryuji as he glared down at Morgana.

Suddenly, a loud and painful scream of a guy came out from within the castle, which make both Akira and Ryuji jumped in surprise while a worry look appear on Minato’s face before they glance at the castle.

“What was that!?” asked Ryuji.

“It must be the slave captives here.” replied Morgana.

“Slave captives?” said Akira, shocked.

“Oh. That doesn’t sound good.” said Minato.

“For real!?” said Ryuji, shocked as well before they heard another loud and painful scream of another guy. “Oh, shit……… it’s for real! We saw other guys held captive here in the dungeons yesterday……… I’m pretty sure they’re from our school.” added Ryuji grimly to Akira, Minato and Morgana.

“Yeah, I agreed too, Ryuji.” said Akira as he nodded his head in grim agreement at Ryuji.

“So you guys came here yesterday, huh?” said Minato. “ _That would certainly explain why I can felt the power of persona and the familiar feeling of the Wild Card from Akira back in school just now._ ” added Minato in his mind.

“Yeah, that’s right.” said Akira.

“Most likely on Kamoshida’s orders. It’s nothing out of the ordinary; it’s like that every day here.” stated Morgana firmly to them. “What’s more, you two escaped yesterday. He must have lost his temper quite a bit.”

“So he decided to ordered those knight minions of his to punish those prisoners just because we make him mad by escaping from him and his castle yesterday?” said Akira in anger at Kamoshida for punishing them.

“That son of a bitch………!” swored Ryuji in anger at Kamoshida as well.

"Ryuji………?” said Morgana as he glance in concern at Ryuji.

“……… This is bullshit!” yell Ryuji before he charge toward the front door and rammed his shoulder against it to try to break it open but to no avail. “You hear me, Kamoshida!?” yell Ryuji for the second time at the castle.

“Stop it!” yell Akira.

“He’s right, Ryuji. Doing that only hurts you more.” said Minato.

“Yeah, you should listen to Akira and Minato, also doing that isn’t going to open it, you know……… Still, it seems you have your reasons.” said Morgana sadly to Ryuji.

“Hey, Monamona!” said Ryuji loudly to Morgana as he turned around to glance and approach him.

“It’s Morgana!” snapped Morgana in bristling anger at Ryuji as he corrected him for saying the wrong name to him.

“Do you know where those voices are comin’ from………?” asked Ryuji as he ignored Morgana’s words to him.

“You want me to take you to them?” said Morgana apprehensively at Ryuji before he glance at both Akira and Minato. “……… Well, I guess I could take and guide you there. But only if he comes with us. And he should come too.”

“Very well then. Let’s go.” said Akira as he and Minato nodded to Morgana.

“It’s settled then!” said Morgana as he briefly jumped up in excitement.

“For real!?……… Thanks, you guys.” said Ryuji as he smiled quite widely and in relief to Akira, Minato and Morgana.

“No problem.” said Minato.

“All right, let’s do this. Follow me!” said Morgana excitedly to Akira, Minato and Ryuji before he turned around and run off and they run after him.

Morgana brought Akira, Minato and Ryuji back to the opened ventilation shaft that they crawled through to escape the castle yesterday and they stopped right below it before Morgana turned around to glance at them. “This is our infiltration point.” Morgana told them.

“Ain’t that where we escaped outta last time………?” said Ryuji.

“That’s right. Not barging in through the entrance is one of the basics of phantom thievery.” replied Morgana.

“ _Basics of phantom thievery?_ ” thought Minato in confusion to himself.

“How’re we supposed to know about that stuff………?” said Ryuji.

“I’ll make sure to teach you 2 and also told and teach Minato from the beginning as we go. Come on, follow me!” said Morgana coolly to them as he turned around, jumped onto a barrel then jumped again onto the ventilation shaft before he crawl through it and into the castle.

Akira, Minato and Ryuji turned to glance and nodded to each other before Akira jumped up onto the ventilation shaft first, grabbed the edge of it with his hands before he pull himself up until he’s crouching on it then he turned and hold out his hand to both Minato and Ryuji for them to grab on. After Akira helped and grabbed hold of both Minato and Ryuji, the 3 of them jumped out of the shaft and they soon find themselves inside the bookshelves room with Morgana.

“Man, this place is as creepy as always.” said Ryuji as he and Akira look around the room.

“Mm-hm.” said Morgana as he nodded his head in agreement to Ryuji. “Now, you all better make sure to do exactly as I said, all right? Follow me!” Morgana added firmly to them before he run out of the room, turned right and run down a hallway. Akira, Minato and Ryuji run out of the room, turned right and run down the hallway after Morgana back into the large ballroom.

“Hey, you guys………” said Ryuji suddenly to Akira, Minato and Morgana and they stopped walking and turned around to glance at him.

“Yes? What is it now?” asked Akira.

“You saw something?” asked Minato.

“Well, we went by here when we came in the front………” replied Ryuji before he trailed off into silence when he (and also Akira, Minato and Morgana) saw the large ballroom briefly warped and change into the front entrance of the school then change back into the large ballroom. “What the………!? I was seein’ double or something just now………! Was that Shujin!?” exclaimed Ryuji with a surprise look on his face before he glance at both Akira and Minato.

“Yeah, that was Shujin for a moment, Sakamoto-kun.” said Akira as he nodded to Ryuji.

“Yeah, no kidding.” said Minato as he nodded as well.

“I’ve told you all a few minutes ago. This place is your school. Regardless, we don’t have the time to stand around. Who knows when a Shadow might show up. Come on, this way!” explained Morgana before he told them to keep moving and they quickly run toward a door, opened it and found themselves inside a narrow room with a spiral staircase leading down.

Akira, Minato, Ryuji and Morgana run down the spiral staircase to the bottom of it, run through a door back into the large underground dungeon place (where they and the others were locked in yesterday) before they turned to their right, run toward an opened metallic door and they quickly came to a stop and hide behind some wooden crates when they saw one of the knight Shadows patrolling back and forth on the pathway near the lifted wooden bridge far in front of them.

“Darn……… I had a feeling there would be guards here……… It looks like we won’t be able to avoid conflict from this point forward.” said Morgana in slight exasperation to them.

“F-For real………?” said Ryuji.

“So what do we do now?” said Akira.

“Oh well, I’ll just teach you the basic of battles right now, Akira. So listen well and remember it well. As a rule of thumb, try to ambush as many enemies as you can. Attack them from behind whenever possible. You need to rip off their masks to momentarily break the control the Palace ruler has over them. If you succeed, the enemy will be caught off guard, allowing us to jump in for a preemptive attack.” Morgana told and explain to Akira.

“Okay, got it, Morgana.” said Akira as he nodded to Morgana.

“That’s some strange yet good battle basics that you just told him, Morgana.” said Minato as he smiled at Morgana.

“Yeah, what he said! So we wanna ambush ‘em and go for the first strike……… All right, I got it too!” said Ryuji excitedly to Morgana.

“Uh, you know you and Minato are just going to be watching, right? You two can’t use Personas………” said Morgana to both Minato (who stay silent) and Ryuji (who sighed in dismay). “Anyway, let’s go, Akira!” Morgana added to Akira when they saw the knight shadow turned around and began walking the other way.

“Of course!” said Akira to Morgana as they stood up, run out from their hiding place and away from Minato and Ryuji, run toward the knight shadow and Akira jumped up and landed on the shoulders of the knight shadow (which surprises him) and he grabbed hold of his mask.

“Reveal your true form to me!” declared Akira firmly to the knight as he forcefully ripped his mask away from his face before he jumped away from him, landed on the ground and watched as the knight started shaking then burst apart in the same shower of black and red liquid and reveal 2 of the same floating pumpkin-things.

“ _Pyro Jack? Two of them?_ ” thought Minato in surprise when he saw the knight shadow burst apart and turn into one of his minor personas.

“ _Yeah, that’s right, Minato. The shadows that you’ll encounter in Palaces are Personas that you once have and summon forth to fight against Shadows before your death. But now, they’ve been brainwash and become shadows in Palaces and the only way to snap them out of it is for Akira to defeat and absorb them into his mask._ ” explain Pharos.

“ _I see._ ” said Minato.

“Now’s our chance to strike first, Akira! Go!” said Morgana.

“Yeah, I know, Morgana.” said Akira before he smirk at the 2 floating pumpkin-things before he summoned forth his persona Arsene (which make Minato had a surprise and awed look on his face when he saw Akira’s persona) and uses Eiha skill to finish off one of them. As Akira fought and finish off one of them, Morgana summoned forth Zorro and uses Garu to finish off the other one. After both Akira and Morgana fought and finish off the 2 floating pumpkin-things, they felt their power, HP and SP levels increase a little before Akira turned to glance at both Minato and Ryuji.

“The coast is clear now, you guys. You guys can come out now.” Akira told them and they nodded to him before they came out from their hiding place and approach him and Morgana.

After Minato and Ryuji joined up with Akira and Morgana, they then run across the drawbridge and into the short hallway with 2 dungeon rooms on both sides of them and stopped when they saw the prisoner guys wearing sport outfits locked and lying inside the dungeon rooms is no longer inside the rooms.

“Why ain’t anyone here………?” said Ryuji as he glance at the empty dungeon room in confusion before he turned to scowled at Morgana. “Dammit, they were in here before! Where’d they go!?” snapped Ryuji angrily at Morgana.

“Quiet down!” Morgana snapped back at Ryuji.

“Who are they that you’re talking about, Ryuji?” asked Minato.

“The guys that Kurusu, Monamona and I saw locked up in these prison cells yesterday when we escape, Arisato!” replied Ryuji.

“If they’re not here then the most likely situation is that Kamoshida must have ordered his knight minions to take and moved them somewhere else or to the deeper level of this dungeon place, Sakamoto-kun.” said Akira grimly to Ryuji.

“Then that’s where we should head to now!” said Ryuji before he run swiftly past Akira, Minato and Morgana and down the hallway away from them.

“Ryuji! Stop!” Akira called out to him but he didn’t answer back and didn’t stop. “God, that impulsive fool………” said Akira as he raised his hand to scratch his head in exasperation at Ryuji.

“Come on, we should go after………” said Minato to Akira and Morgana before he trailed off into silence when they heard the sounds of running footsteps coming back toward them, turned and saw that it’s Ryuji.

“Crap, guys! I can hear footsteps comin’! Lots of ‘em!” said Ryuji worriedly to them.

“Darn! It would be a problem if they discovered us now………” said Morgana before he turned, walked toward and stop in front of a wooden door next to the empty dungeon room on the left side of the hallway. “Hey, let’s head into this room. We should be able to hide in there until they leave.” Morgana added to Akira, Minato and Ryuji before they opened the door, went into a room (that had a wooden rectangular table with 4 chairs around the table, a wooden bed standing against the right corner of the wall with several wooden shelves and a flame chandelier hanging on the ceiling) and Ryuji quickly closed the door behind them.

“The Shadows probably won’t come in here.” said Morgana reassuringly to them.

“How can you tell?” asked Ryuji slightly tiredly to Morgana.

“There’s a lack of distortion here, meaning the ruler’s control over this area is weak.” explained Morgana.

Soon after Morgana explain to Akira, Minato and Ryuji, they watched with surprise looks on their faces as the room briefly warped and change to an empty classroom then change back again.

“Woah, you’re right, Morgana.” said Akira.

“Is this a classroom………!?” said Ryuji.

“Now do you three understand?” said Morgana. “This place is another reality that the ruler’s heart projects.”

“This is Kamoshida’s reality………? Shit makes no sense at all!” said Ryuji in confusion to Morgana.

“One could say it’s a world in which one’s distorted desires have materialized. I call such a place a “Palace”.” Morgana explained further to them.

“A “Palace”?” asked Akira in confusion to Morgana now.

“This is happening because he thinks the school is his own castle.” replied Morgana.

“So, it became like this ‘cause he just thought of it like that!?” said Ryuji before he briefly laugh bitterly then clench his fists in anger. “That son of a bitch!” yell Ryuji angrily at Kamoshida.

“You must really hate this Kamoshida guy.” said Morgana.

“Hate doesn’t even cover how I feel. Everything is that asshole’s fault!” said Ryuji angrily to Morgana.

“What do you mean by that, Ryuji? Did he do something to you that’s so bad and make you hate him?” asked Minato as he glance at Ryuji.

“………It’s nothing.” replied Ryuji as he look away.

“I don’t know what happened between you two, but don’t let your emotions get the better of you. His lackeys are everywhere.” said Morgana calmly to Ryuji as well before he glance at Akira. “You’re curious about you outfit, aren’t you?” Morgana asked Akira.

“Yeah, me and Arisato are curious as hell about it too.” said Ryuji as he glance at Akira.

“ _Uh, not exactly for me because Pharos already told me just now._ ” thought Minato.

“ _Yeah._ ” said Pharos.

“That’s also because of this world.” said Morgana.

“Because of this world?” said Akira, confused.

“More stuff that makes no sense………” said Ryuji as he leaned his back against the wall.

“Anything distorts according to how a ruler pleases within his Palace.” Morgana explained further to them. “A school can turn into a castle like this, after all. In order to prevent such distortions, one must hold a powerful will of rebellion. Your appearance is a manifestation of that. It’s the image of rebellion that you hold within.”

“Oh, that explains it.” said Akira as he nodded in understanding to Morgana.

“Uuugh, I’m so fed up with all this “distortion” and “rebellion” thing! I’m more curious about you than his change of clothes! What the hell are you anyways!?” said Ryuji in frustration to Morgana before he bluntly asked him about himself.

“I’m a human- an honest-to-god human!” Morgana snapped at Ryuji.

“No, you’re obviously a cat!” said Ryuji.

“This is, well……… It’s because I lost my true form……… I think.” said Morgana as he lowered his head to look down sadly.

“You think?” asked Ryuji.

“But I do know how to regain my true form.” replied Morgana. “The reason why I snuck in here was for a preliminary investigation of those means. Well, I ended up getting caught by his lackeys though……… Besides, I’ve been tortured by Kamoshida too! I’m gonna make him pay for sure!” added Morgana as he look away then look back at them in anger at Kamoshida for torturing him.

“What is this, a comic book? This is seriously crazy………” said Ryuji in slight exasperation to himself and to Akira and Minato.

“If we’re gonna keep going, we should hurry along.” said Morgana before he glance at Akira. “I’ll be counting and helping you on fighting this time too, Akira. Is that alright?” asked Morgana.

“Of course it’s alright, Morgana.” replied Akira to Morgana.

“Good luck, Akira-kun.” said Minato.

“Don’t worry, Kurusu, we’re not gonna force it all on you. I thought it might help, so………” said Ryuji before he pull out a handgun from his pants pocket.

“Sakamoto-kun, that’s………!” gasped Akira in shocked (same goes for Minato) at seeing Ryuji taking and holding out a handgun to him.

“It’s fine, Kurusu! I brought this just in case! It’s a model gun though, so it only makes sounds!” added Ryuji reassuringly to Akira.

“That’s a toy gun!” said Morgana.

“But it looks totally real, so it’ll at least fake em’ out.” said Ryuji as he glance at Morgana then glance back to Akira. “I brought some medicine, too. You know what they say: “Providin is pre……… something”. Huh? Huh?”

“Very well then.” sighed Akira as he took the gun and the medicines from Ryuji.

“So you were planning this from the start……… Well, fine. If you all are ready to go, we’ll resume our infiltration.” said Morgana as he shake his head at Ryuji before he told them that they’re all ready to go on.

Once Akira, Minato, Ryuji and Morgana are sure that the knights are gone (and they also overheard that the knights had taken the prisoners to a training hall place), they cautiously came out of the room, turned to their left to run down the hallway, saw a knight shadow standing guard in front of a cell door and Morgana began explaining to them about security levels of Palaces before both Akira and Morgana charge toward the knight shadow and take him down with their Personas and weapons.

After Akira and Morgana take down the knight shadow, they then opened the cell door, went down another hallway and walked down several staircases, saw and take down another knight shadow standing guard in front of another door with the handgun that Ryuji gave to him (and which make Morgana explain the basic of Gun Attacks, Party Tactics, Skill Selection Assistance and Rush Mode to Akira) before they resumed on walking down the hallway, met and take down some more knight shadows patrolling the hallway (and level up a little more), walk across a drawbridge to the other side of the hallway, saw another knight shadow standing guard in front of another door and Morgana explain a special battle basic to Akira called “All-Out Attack” before they charge toward the knight shadow, knock it down before they jumped and started attacking the knight shadow swiftly from all sides and finish it off (which shocked and amazed both Minato and Ryuji when they saw it).

After both Akira and Morgana take down the knight shadow, they opened the door, saw that they’re inside the large training hall place, walked across another drawbridge and they soon saw with sadness, horror and anger looks on their faces (specifically Ryuji) at the terrible sight of the knight shadows beating and abusing the young guys wearing sports uniforms. Both Akira and Minato try their best to calm and restrained Ryuji as he began yelling and cursing loudly at Kamoshida and his knights for beating and abusing the sports guys (even after Morgana told him that they’re cognitive beings instead of real peoples).

After a short while, Ryuji finally calm down and both Akira and Minato released him and he thanked them for it before he decided to memorized the faces of the abused guys clearly in his mind since the camera apps on their phones are down. After he’s done memorizing all of their faces, Akira, Minato, Ryuji and Morgana then turned around and quickly make their way up and out of the large dungeon place.


	10. Chapter 10

As Akira, Minato, Ryuji and Morgana ran back into the front entrance of the castle, they gasped and stopped running when they saw Kamoshida standing in the middle of the room with a group of 6 knight shadows (one of them is a golden-coloured knight with 2 red-coloured feathers at the top of his helmet and holding a slightly larger sword and a red, white and golden-coloured shield in his hands) standing behind him.

“……… You knaves again? To think you three’d make the same mistake again. You’re all hopeless!” sneered Kamoshida before he noticed Minato standing with them. “And what’s this? You three brought another one with you all? Wait a minute……… aren’t you the other transfer student guy that also enrolled into Shujin? Humph, another “promising young man” for Shujin, my ass. Looks like you’re also nothing but the same hopeless trash as them since you came with them, aren’t you?” said Kamoshida mockingly to Minato (who glared coldly at him).

“The school ain’t your goddamn castle!” exclaimed Ryuji firmly at Kamoshida as he took a few steps forward. “I’ve memorized each of their faces real good. You’re goin’ down!”

“It seems it’s true when they say “barking dogs seldom bites”.” said Kamoshida as he glance at Ryuji before he smirked evilly at them. “How far the star runner of the track team has fallen.”

“ _Ryuji used to be in the track team? Just like Kazushi. But what does this asshole mean by that?_ ” thought Minato as he glance concernly at Ryuji.

“The hell are you getting’ at!?” yell Ryuji as he glared at Kamoshida.

“I speak of the “Track Traitor” who acted in violence, ending his teammates’ dreams.” Kamoshida taunted Ryuji. “Oh, I can only imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under with your……… selfish act.”

“Ngh………” grunted Ryuji as he flinch and look away from Kamoshida.

“Track Traitor”? What does he mean by that, Sakamoto-kun?” asked Akira as he and Morgana glance in confusion at Ryuji.

“What a surprise. So you two are accompanying him without knowing anything at all?” said Kamoshida mockingly at Akira and Minato. “Sakamoto betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on as carefree as ever.”

“That’s not true!” yell Ryuji in denial at Kamoshida’s words.

“You two have come along with that fool and are now going to end up dead……… How unfortunate for you two.” said Kamoshida as he ignored Ryuji’s words before he raised his right hand to gestured to the knights standing behind him. “Go, kill them all. I don’t want my castle to be sully with garbages like them.” Kamoshida ordered his knights.

The knights obeyed Kamoshida’s orders before they take a few steps forward, shake and burst apart in a shower of black and red liquid and reveal several red-eyed, dark purple-skinned horses with green horns, white manes and tails on their heads, necks and behind them.

“Goddammit………” growled Ryuji as he narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth in helplessness and frustration when he saw the knights burst and change into shadow horses.

“ _What kind of personas are they, Pharos? I’ve never seen nor have them before!_ ” asked Minato as he glared at the shadow horses.

“ _Those personas are new, Minato. That’s why you’ve never had or used them before. And take these, it’s time to use them once again._ ” replied Pharos as he appear (which Akira, Ryuji and Morgana can’t see him other than Minato) before he conjure and hold out his old weapons (Evoker gun and Deux Xiphos sword) to him.

“ _Right. Thanks, Pharos._ ” said Minato gratefully to Pharos as he took his Evoker gun and Deux Xiphos sword from him.

“ _You’re welcome and good luck, Minato._ ” said Pharos before he vanish.

“Minato, Ryuji, get back!” ordered Morgana as he and Akira run forward in front of Minato and Ryuji to shield them, summoned forth Arsene (a black-faced man with flaming orange slitted eyes, long horns on his forehead and a wide, wicked smile on his face and wearing a black shirt with a long-sleeve dark red bolero jacket over it, long black pants with thigh high dark red boots over it, a black top hat on his head, a pair of clawed black gloves on his hands and dark blue wings behind his back) and Zorro (a yellow-eyed, broad and muscular black masked male figure wearing a long-sleeve buttoned-up black shirt with a black cape behind his back, black gloves on his hands, matching long pants and short boots on his legs with a silver and red-coloured belt with the alphabet “Z” on it and holding a rapier in his right hand) as they prepared themselves for another battle against the shadow horses that’s slowly surrounds them but to their surprise and shock, Minato choose to stand with them instead of safely behind them with Ryuji.

“ _So that’s what their personas look like after Akira and Morgana awaken to them, huh? I gotta say, they do look great but still weak._ ” thought Minato as he glance up at Akira and Morgana’s personas.

“Minato-kun, what’re you doing!? Stay back!” yell Akira.

“No, it’s alright, I can help you guys.” said Minato calmly to them.

“Help us how, exactly!?” said Morgana.

Minato didn’t answer Morgana’s question as he closed his eyes, slowly raised and pointed his Evoker gun at his head (which make Akira, Ryuji and Morgana gasped when they saw it).

“What the eff!? What the hell is he thinking and doing, pointing that gun at his own head!?” yell Ryuji.

“Minato-kun, stop, don’t do it!” yell Akira.

“Like I said before, don’t worry, you guys. This is how……… it’s done for me. Come forth, Thanatos!” said Minato calmly to them again before he pull the trigger and the Evoker let out a loud bang, causing bright blue glass-like fragments to burst out of his head (instead of blood and brain matters that Akira, Ryuji and Morgana were expecting in fear and horror) before bright blue/white flames appear and enveloped his entire body and change his Shujin uniform into another different long sleeve, high collared silvery white, buttoned-up jacket with a black shirt under his jacket, black belt tied around his waist, black gloves on his hands, long black and white pants and black shoes on his feet and a silvery white Messiah mask on his face while a great yet terrifying-looking figure of the personification of death as it holds a long and menacing-looking sword in it’s right hand and with a cape of coffins with the figures of robed women holding blades in their hands in front of them on the cape of coffins behind it appear and floated above Minato before it let out a loud roar at Kamoshida and his knights (which make them step back in fear a little).

XXXX

**Meanwhile, inside a room on an island………**

A short blonde-haired, light blue-eyed female android gasped and opened her eyes in surprise then fear when she felt a bad feeling rose up from within her.

“ _This feeling……… It’s the same feeling that I’ve felt 5, 6 years ago when that guy show up in school then on the Moonlight Bridge at midnight when the Dark Hour occurred. It’s……… Death! Death has returned!_ ” thought the female android in sadness, shock then horror before she stood up from the oval-shaped machine pod that she’s lying on for her recharge and left the room to tell her friends about it.

XXXX

“What!? Him too!?” said Kamoshida with a disbelief look on his face.

“ _No way……… He’s a persona-user too?_ ” thought Akira with a surprise then awed look on his face at Minato.

“ _The persona that he just summoned out is the source of the bad feeling of Death that I’ve sense before we entered the castle a few minutes ago!_ ” thought Morgana as he shivered and with a fearful look on his face at Minato.

“ _It’s been a while since I’ve felt this familiar feeling of summoning forth one of my stronger persona._ ” thought Minato to himself before he glance and smiled softly at both Akira and Morgana. “What’re you two standing there gawking at me for? Don’t we have some shadows to fight?” said Minato quite sternly to both Akira and Morgana, caused them to snap out of their shock, awed and worry and all 3 of them turned to glance at the horse shadows.

Both Akira and Morgana uses Eiha and Garu skills on some of the horse shadows and only managed to partially injured them before Minato uses Evil Smile then Ghastly Wail skills on all of them and defeated them easily. But soon after they injured and defeated them, another group of horse shadows show up to take their place, caused Akira, Morgana and Minato to keep on fighting and defeating them for the next few minutes until they started to feel out of breath from it and some of the horse shadows take advantage of them being out of breath to charge and rammed their horns several times on Akira, Minato and Morgana (which make them yell out in pain) and knock them down onto the floor. Once Kamoshida saw his knights finally take down Akira, Minato and Morgana, he approach Morgana, raised and pressed his foot down on his back.

“Rgh……… You piece of-” grunted Morgana angrily at Kamoshida (who glance and smirked silently down at Morgana).

“Akira, Morgana……… Ugh!” said Minato before he groan out in pain when he felt one of the knights tightly grabbed the top of his head and pull him up from the ground.

“Minato-kun! Morgana!” yell Akira worriedly at Minato and Morgana before he felt another knight rammed his shield hard on his back, making him yell out in pain before he fell to his knees on the floor.

“Heh, that’s what happens to you when you try to be a hero, criminal boy.” said Kamoshida smugly at Akira (who glared at him) before he glance at Minato then at Ryuji (who’s also on his knees on the floors too). “And as for him, he gave me quite the cold chill with his fighting skills but he still fall at the end, how sad for him. And as for you now, I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this. Isn’t that right, Sakamoto?” sneered Kamoshida.

“No………” said Ryuji as he shake his head.

“What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly……… How dare you raised your hand at me. Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?” said Kamoshida as he smirked at Ryuji.

“You’re wrong! That wasn’t practice-it was physical abuse! You just didn’t like our team!” said Ryuji in helpless anger at Kamoshida as he lowered himself to lay his forehead on the floor while beating the floor with his fists.

“It was nothing but an eyesore! The only one who needs to achieve results is me!” Kamoshida sneered at Ryuji again. “That coach who got fired was hopeless too……… Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would’ve settled it with only breaking his star’s leg.” added Kamoshida smugly at Ryuji.

“ _What!? This asshole abuses him and his track team fellow members, break his leg, fired their previous coach and destroy the track team? How could he do such a terrible thing to him, that bastard!_ ” thought Minato as he glared at Kamoshida.

“………What?” said Ryuji as he lifted his head to look up with a shock look on his face.

“Do you need me to deal with your other leg too? The school will call it self-defense anyway!” said Kamoshida mockingly at Ryuji before he glance at both Akira and Minato. “And as for you, Kurusu, I’ll make sure that you won’t stay long in Shujin! Same goes for you, Arisato!”

“Humph. As if we would let you, you bastard!” snapped Minato coldly to Kamoshida (who smirk at him).

“Dammit……… Am I gonna lose again………? Not only can I not run anymore……… the track team is gone too ‘cause of this asshole………!” said Ryuji in helpless anger to himself.

“So that’s why………” murmured Morgana sadly at Ryuji before he let out another pained grunt when Kamoshida pressed his foot harder on Morgana.

“Once this thing, Kurusu and Arisato is dealt with, you’ll be next.” said Kamoshida smugly to Ryuji before he began laughing in triumph.

“Ryuji!” Morgana yell out to him.

“What are you doing? Stand up for yourself! Are you just going to let this bastard get away with this!?” Akira yell out to him as well.

“……… That’s right, you heard him, Ryuji! Get back up now! Don’t let what he says to you bring you down!” yell Minato to Ryuji as well.

“……… You’re all right. Everything that was important to me was taken by him……… I’ll never get ‘em back………” said Ryuji.

“Stay there and watch. Take a good long look as this thing die for nothing before I dealt those two because they sided with hopeless garbage like you.” said Kamoshida as he smirked at Ryuji.

“No……… That’s what you are……… All you think about is using people……… You’re the real scumbag, Kamoshida!” snapped Ryuji as he stood up from the floor and slowly approach Kamoshida.

“What are you all doing? Silence him!” Kamoshida yell at his knights.

“So don’t you dare look down on me with that stupid smile on your face!” yell Ryuji as he stopped walking, glared hatefully and raised and pointed his finger at Kamoshida.

“ _You’ve made me wait quite a while._ ” said a deep male’s voice slightly impatiently at Ryuji.

Soon after Ryuji heard the deep voice of the male spoke to him from somewhere, his eyes abruptly turned bright yellow before he felt indescribable pain suddenly wracked his head and body, causing him to raised his hands to clutch his throbbing head before he fell groaning then screaming and writhing in pain and agony on the floor.

“ _You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact._ ” the male voice told Ryuji. “ _Since your name has been disgraced by him already, why not hoist the flag and wreck havoc………? The “other you” who exists within desires it thus……… I an thou, thou art I……… There is no turning back……… The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!_ ” said the male voice firmly to Ryuji (who stopped writhing and screaming in pain and agony as well) before a dark grey, skull-like mask appear on his face.

“Hmph. What can you do?” sneered the knight grabbing Minato’s head tightly in his hand at Ryuji. “Cower in fear and watch!”

Ryuji stood up from the floor as he tightly grabbed hold of the mask with his hands to try to pull it away and he managed to ripped the mask off of his face, causes blood to burst out and run down his face as he screamed in pain before a strong beam of dark blue flame suddenly appear and enveloped around Ryuji while a strong gust of wind blow out toward Kamoshida and his knight minions and send them flying backward and falling on their backs on the floor away from them and Akira, Minato and Morgana (who stood up from the floor and watched Ryuji awaken to their Personas with silent shock, awed and approval looks on their faces).

As the dark blue flame and the gust of wind slowly died down and reveal Ryuji (whose uniform had change into a different long sleeve black leather jacket with a long red scarf tied around his neck, matching long pants with knee pads on it, a slightly large grey belt tied around his waist, dark grey combat boots on his legs and a pair of yellow gloves on his hands) with an intimidating-looking Persona floating in thin air behind him. The one floating behind Ryuji is a skeletal-faced, yellow-eyed pirate man standing on and using a dark blue ship like a skateboard with the face of a war head painted on the front of it and wearing a long sleeve blue admiral coat with two swords crossed over each other on the front of his coat, a yellow cannon on his right hand and a yellow glove on his left hand, long black trousers and matching short black boots on his legs with a long red cape billowing behind him, an eyepatch covering his left eye and a black pirate hat with a white skull painted on the front of it on his head. A second later, Ryuji raised his head to glance and smirked wickedly at Kamoshida.

“Ugh……… This one as well!?” said Kamoshida as he and his knight minions stood up from the floor.

“Right on……… Wassup, Persona……… This effin’ rocks!” said Ryuji excitedly as he glance down at his gloved hands. “Now that I got these powers like Kurusu, Arisato and Morgana, it’s time for payback……… Yo, we’re ready……… Bring it on!” said Ryuji as he clasped and cracked his knuckles together while staring smugly at Kamoshida and his knight minions.

“Are you two alright, Arisato-kun? Morgana?” asked Akira worriedly to them.

“Yeah, we’re fine, Kurusu-kun.” replied Minato reassuringly to Akira.

“Yup! Like what he says!” replied Morgana to Akira (who nodded to them before they turned to glance at Kamoshida and his knight minions as well).

“Ngh……… Don’t mock me, you brats!” snapped the golden-armored knight angrily at them before he transform into a red-armored knight sitting on a purple horse and holding a menacing long spear in his left hand.

“Blast them away, Captain Kidd!” yell Ryuji as he raised his hand and pointed a finger at the red-armored knight sitting on his horse.

“What troublemaker brats that dared bother King Kamoshida with trifle matters!” yell the red-armored knight to them.

“What we do and be responsible for others isn’t trifle matters at all! Isn’t that right, Thanatos?” said Minato as he briefly glance up at Thanatos (who nodded to him).

“Kamoshida’s cognition ain’t changin’ right? Then I’ll act like the troublemaker I am! Let’s do this, Captain Kidd!” exclaimed Ryuji as he briefly glance up at Captain Kidd as well.

The red-armored knight shadow scoffed at them as he raised his spear to summoned forth 4 horse shadows then ordered them to charge and rammed them down. Akira, Morgana, Minato and Ryuji got into battle stances and uses Eiha, Zio, Mudo and Garu skills on the 4 horse shadows and take them down. They then uses their skills on the red-armored knight and his horse, managed to knock him down before they jumped and attack the knight and his horse swiftly and relentlessly from all sides until they defeated him together.

“I am……… a loyal subject……… of the glorious King Kamoshida……… So why……… have I lost!?” said the knight weakly to himself.

“It just proves that Kamoshida ain’t anything special at all.” said Ryuji smugly at the knight while Akira nodded in agreement to Ryuji. The knight shadow and his horse then transform back into it’s previous golden-armored knight look before he fell on his back on the floor and moved no more while Kamoshida stared down at him with a disappointed look on his face. As for Ryuji, he panted in exhaustion and take deep breaths of air for himself since the awakening of his Persona drained him greatly.

“So tired………” panted Ryuji.

“Believe me, I know what you mean and what you’re feeling now, Ryuji. But later on you’ll get use to it.” said Minato reassuringly to Ryuji.

“I hope so, Arisato-kun.” said Akira as he glance at Minato.

“……… How ‘bout that!?” yell Ryuji as he weakly glared at Kamoshida.

“Whoa……… So Ryuji had the potential too, like me, Akira and Minato………” said Morgana as he glance in awed at Ryuji.

“Even if you apologize to us now……… We ain’t forgivin’ you………!” added Ryuji angrily at Kamoshida.

“I told you all that this is my castle. It seems you all still don’t understand………” said Kamoshida smugly to them as he took a few steps forward before he turned to glance to his right, raised and hold out his hand to gestured someone to come out. The next second, a familiar girl wearing purple leopard print bikini and also wearing a diamond tiara with cat ears on them on the girl’s head came walking out toward Kamoshida and wrapped her arms and body near Kamoshida. Akira, Ryuji and Morgana gasped and gaped in shock when they saw who the girl is.

“Wh- Takamaki!?” sputtered Ryuji.

“Who is she, Ryuji-kun?” asked Akira.

“Oh……… what a meow-velous and beautiful girl………!” purred Morgana as he glance dreamily at not-Takamaki.

" _Geez, seriously, Morgana?"_ thought Minato in disapproval at Morgana.

“What’s going on………!?” said Ryuji in confusion.

“I don’t know, Ryuji. But there’s something off about this.” said Akira as he glared at Kamoshida.

“Yeah, now that you mention it, Kurusu……… But why is Takamaki even here!?” said Ryuji as he glance at Akira then glance back at Kamoshida and not-Takamaki and saw Kamoshida started caressing not-Takamaki’s jaw. “Hey! Let go of her, you perv!” yell Ryuji angrily at Kamoshida.

“How many times must I tell you all until you all understand?” said Kamoshida as he glance in annoyance at them. “This is MY castle-a place in which I can do whatever I want. Everyone wishes to be loved by me……… That is, everyone besides slow-witted thieves like you all.” added Kamoshida as he let go of not-Takamaki’s jaw.

“Takamaki! Say somethin’!” Ryuji called out to her but she ignored him.

“Calm down, Ryuji! It seems those girls aren’t real ones! They’re the same as those slaves-beings made from Kamoshida’s cognition of them!” Morgana said and explain to Ryuji.

“ _So they’re not real, huh? Glad to know that._ ” thought Minato with a relief look on his face.

“Are you jealous?” asked Kamoshida smugly to them.

“Of you? No, I’m disgusted at what I see now.” snapped Akira angrily at Kamoshida.

“Akira’s right, Kamoshida. Why would we be jealous at seeing you doing such things to those cognitive beings that’re not real.” said Minato coldly at Kamoshida.

“Hmph. Maybe not you two but I’m sure Sakamoto is. After all, women aren’t drawn to problematic punks like you all.” said Kamoshida mockingly to them.

“Dammit………!” said Ryuji as he glared at Kamoshida.

“Don’t listen and ignore that sick bastard, Sakamoto-kun. He’s just trying to riled you up.” said Minato.

“Yeah, you’re right, Arisato. Thanks for telling me about it.” said Ryuji thankfully to Minato.

“Clean them up this instant!” yell Kamoshida before a group of 4 knight shadows appear between him and his cognitive Takamaki and Akira, Ryuji, Minato and Morgana.

“We’re outnumbered……… Let’s scram before we get surrounded!” said Morgana worriedly to them.

“We’re not gonna do anything and just run!?” protested Ryuji.

“Stop your protesting, Sakamoto-kun! And we’re leaving because remember one of the saying “Live today, fight tomorrow”.” said Minato sternly to Ryuji.

“Yeah, you’re right, Minato. He at least got a level head unlike you.” said Morgana.

“They’re right, Ryuji. We should leave now.” said Akira.

“Ngh……… Fine.” said Ryuji in reluctant agreement to them. “We’ll expose what you really are, no matter what! You better be ready for us, Kamoshida………!” added Ryuji firmly to Kamoshida (which make him laugh evilly at Ryuji).

“Fine! I was beginning to get bored of torturing the ones here! Come at me whenever you all want, if you don’t care about your lives!” said Kamoshida smugly to them before he let out another evil laugh, turned and began walking away with not-Takamaki following behind him.

“Ignore him! Let’s go!” said Morgana as he turned to glance at Akira, Ryuji and Minato before they turned and run away from them and out of the ballroom toward the room where the ventilation shaft is and quickly climb up and crawled out of the castle.


	11. Chapter 11

Once Akira, Ryuji, Minato and Morgana got out of the castle through the ventilation shaft, they stopped near the entrance of the castle to catch their breaths.

“Well, glad to see and know that we’ve outrun those knights and escape from the castle. But now, what’s up with these strange outfits and masks that we’re all wearing now?” said Minato as he glance confusingly at his new outfit.

“Anyways! I don’t remember changin’ into this!” panted Ryuji as he straighten himself and glance down at his new outfit.

“Neither do I. But don’t you and Ryuji-kun think that these outfits suits us a lot?” said Akira as he glance down at his new outfit as well before he glance up at both Minato and Ryuji.

“I guess you’re right, Akira-kun. These new outfits does suit us a lot.” said Minato in agreement with Akira.

“Uhh……… Should we be happy about what you just said about our new outfits?” said Ryuji as he felt a little embarrassed at Akira complimenting their outfits. “Then again, it ain’t as bad as yours or Arisato.”

“Quiet, you all! Kamoshida’s knights are still looking for us!” whisper Morgana slightly harshly to Akira, Ryuji and Minato and they immediately stay silent and listen to the voices of the knights talking and searching for them in every rooms from inside the castle until they went away to another inner part of the castle. Once they’re sure that the knights are gone, they relax and resumed their conversation.

“So what’s goin’ on? I’m completely lost, guys………!” said Ryuji.

“I told you 2 before. When a Persona-user opposes a Palace’s ruler and becomes a threat to them, this happens.” explained Morgana to them as he crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s to prevent you from being affected by distortions.”

“I see. Thanks for the explanation, Morgana.” said Akira.

“Is this……… a skull?” asked Ryuji as he take off his mask and glance at it.

“Your appearance reflects your inner self. It’s the will of rebellion that slumbers within……… Not that you’ll get it.” said Morgana as he smirk at Ryuji.

“Nope………” sighed Ryuji as he lowered his head and slumped his shoulders a little.

“ _The will of our rebellion, huh?_ ” thought Minato as he glance at his and Ryuji’s new outfits.

“Then stop asking questions and accept what you see for what it is.” said Morgana in a slightly exasperated tone of voice to Ryuji.

“Easy for you to say.” Ryuji retorted back to Morgana as he put his mask back on his face then crossed his arms over his chest before he gasped in shock when he realised something. “Wait, we’re in deep shit!”

“Like what, exactly? And didn’t Morgana already told you to pipe down, Ryuji-kun?” said Minato as he scowled at Ryuji.

“He’s right, Ryuji! Be quiet!” added Morgana.

“We might’ve gotten away here, but we’re still screwed with Kamoshida at the real school………” said Ryuji nervously to them, ignoring Minato and Morgana’s words.

“Oh shoot. You’re right, Ryuji.” said Akira grimly to Ryuji.

“Now now, you two. Calm down.” said Minato calmly to them both.

“That’s quite sharp of you!……… For being an idiot. And good to see and know that at least one of you is still keeping a level head.” said Morgana in mock praise to Ryuji then gratefully to Minato. “Relax, you two. The Kamoshida in reality can’t possibly know about what happens here. A Shadow is the true self that is suppressed-a side of one’s personality they don’t want to see.” added Morgana reassuringly to them.

“……… So we’re okay?” asked Ryuji.

“Yes, we’re all okay, Ryuji-kun. Isn’t that what Morgana just told us?” said Minato in a exasperated tone of voice at Ryuji.

“Did the Kamoshida in reality remember about the execution?” asked Morgana.

“No, he didn’t, Morgana.” replied Akira.

“There you have it.” said Morgana smugly to them.

“We’re glad to hear and know that, Morgana.” said Minato gratefully to Morgana.

“All right! Now that we know that, all we gotta do is-” Ryuji began saying to both Akira and Minato before he got cut off by Morgana.

“Wait. I guided you all as promised. It’s your turn to cooperate with me.” Morgana told them and they glance down at Morgana with confused looks on their faces. “That’s why I was super nice about teaching you two idiots and this blue-haired vessel of Death guy everything.”

“Huh? Cooperate?” asked Ryuji in confusion to Morgana.

“Cooperate with you about what exactly, Morgana?” asked Minato.

“Oh, that’s right, you weren’t with these two when they freed me from my prison cell in the castle so I guess I’ll tell you now but don’t you two remember? I originally came here for an investigation. I need to erase the distortion from my body and regain my real form. That’s why we must delve deep into Mementos and-” replied Morgana before he got cut off by Ryuji.

“Whoa, hold on. What’re you goin’ on and on about? We never said anything about helpin’ you out.” said Ryuji as he glance at Morgana.

“ _Mementos?_ ” thought Akira to himself about the mysterious place called “Mementos” that Morgana just told them.

“Huh? Don’t tell me……… Are you guys not going to repay the hospitality that I showed you all?” said Morgana as he glance at Ryuji in surprise before he glance at Akira. “And what about you? You’re going to up and leave too, even though you’re already part of my master plan!?”

“What? Well, it’s true that we do promise to helped you out, Morgana. But still………” said Akira softly and slightly guiltily to Morgana (which make him frown sadly at him).

“ _Seriously, Akira-kun?_ ” thought Minato in disapproval at Akira.

“ _Hmph. What breaker of promise these two are, Minato._ ” said Pharos in agreement with Minato.

“Come on, Kurusu, Arisato! We’re busy!” said Ryuji (which make Minato scowled at him) as he scratch his head a little before he crouch down in front of Morgana. “Thanks for everything, cat. You’ve got guts, bein’ a cat and all! See you around! Let’s go, Kurusu, Arisato!” added Ryuji as he grinned at Morgana before he stood up, turned and walked swiftly away with Akira following behind him while Minato gave him a “sorry” look and follow after them both.

“Hey! What the hell!? Ugh, seriously! Why’re you all wrapping this up like everything’s all hunky-dory!? Oh hell no! Get back here!………Grrr……… GRAAGGGHHH!!” yelled Morgana as he jumped up and down in anger at Akira, Ryuji and Minato for leaving him behind.

XXXX

“ _You’ve returned to the real world. Welcome back._ ” said the robotic female voice from the app on Akira’s phone to Akira, Ryuji and Minato after they came out from the other world, stand and leaned their bodies against the wall inside an alleyway opposite Shujin Academy as they catch their breaths.

“ _So tired. Never thought that being in the other world with Akira, Ryuji and Morgana would make me and these two feel as tired as when me and my teammates ascend the Tartarus Tower and fighting shadow along the way until we managed to reach the top on the promise day to fight Nyx a few years ago._ ” thought Minato to himself.

" _Yeah but you did good like before and you've once again awaken to your persona and summon me forth to fight."_ said Pharos.

" _Yeah, I know, Pharos."_   said Minato.

“………Thank god. We’re back.” said Ryuji in relief before he turned to glance tiredly at both Akira and Minato. “I dragged you two around in that castle a lot, huh?……… I’m sorry, guys.” Ryuji apologized to them.

“It’s fine, Ryuji.” said Akira reassuringly to him.

“Ugh, I’m dead tired……… How are you and Arisato holdin’ up?” asked Ryuji.

“I’m quite tired.” replied Akira quietly.

“So am I.” replied Minato.

“Me too……… Man, I’m gonna sleep like a rock when I get home.” said Ryuji tiredly and in agreement to Akira and Minato before he grin widely at them. “But damn, if what we saw was for real, this is gonna get good. I totally remember the faces of the guys Kamoshida was treatin’ like slaves. Once we find and make ‘em fess up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will be done. So……… you two wanna help me look for those guys or any witnesses?” added Ryuji in a triumphant tone of voice to them before he asked them a question.

“Alright, I’ll help you out, Sakamoto-kun.” said Akira.

“Of course, Ryuji-kun. But………” said Minato.

“Really!? Great! Now that’s what I’m talking about.” said Ryuji happily to them both, cutting off Minato’s words.

“Excuse me, Ryuji-kun. I think there’s one thing you’ve forgotten about Akira-kun, like his record as a false criminal, for example.” said Minato as he remember about Akira’s record and glance sadly at Akira.

“Oh yeah, you’re right, Arisato. Everyone already knows about his record. They totally got him pegged as a criminal.” said Ryuji as he glance sadly at him too.

“It’s fine, you two. I don’t mind about it.” said Akira reassuringly and Ryuji before he frowned and crossed his arms. “But I’m curious, how is it that all the other students knew of my record?” asked Akira.

“Kamoshida blabbed about it to them, that’s how they all knew, Kurusu!” replied Ryuji with a scowl look on his face while Akira nodded in sad agreement to him.

“ _Of course it had to be him. And he still call himself a teacher?_ ” thought Minato with a cold look on his face.

“Why am I not surprised that he’s the one who told them?” said Akira with a shake of his head.

“No one else besides a teacher could’ve leaked it out that fast!” said Ryuji as he angrily crossed his arms over his chest. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a student or a club; that asshole just wrecks things he doesn’t agree with. Just like he did with me………! No one’ll take anything I say seriously.”

“Still, those rumors about him doing physical abuse on those volleyball members might be real, after what we saw in that basement dungeon room inside and under the castle.” said Akira.

“Yeah. And after seein’ Kamoshida’s distorted heart-thing in person, there’s no way I can just sit back!” said Ryuji with a determined look on his face to Akira and Minato.

“ _Good god, the more I heard Ryuji-kun talk about this Kamoshida and the bad things he did to his team and other students, the more annoy and angry I’ve become about him._ ” thought Minato with an even more cold look on his face.

“I’ll helped you guys out too, like I say a few second ago.” said Akira.

“Are you sure about that, Akira-kun? What about your record?” asked Minato concernly to Akira.

“Yes, I know and I’m sure about it, Minato-kun. And as for my record, it should be fine as long as I’m being careful about it.” replied Akira calmly to Minato.

“In that case, we’ll be countin’ on each other! Don’t you two worry; I’m hyped about this too!” said Ryuji excitedly to Akira and Minato and they nodded to him before Minato froze when he felt the familiar feeling of time around him stopped and he heard a girl’s voice spoke to him from within his head.

**_To you who has accept,_ **

**_And endured the weight of the Universe,_ **

**_We of the Fool and Chariot Arcanas,_ **

**_Give you our blessings, Messiah._ **

After the girl’s voice fell silent, Minato look up and saw 2 cards (a pale blue card with the figures of a man holding a stick with a bag hanging at the other end on his shoulder behind him and with the figure of a dog following behind him and a red, yellow and black card with the figure of a knight standing on two lions) appearing and floating above Akira and Ryuji’s head before they fell and landed accurately on his hand and he quickly put the cards into his pocket before time resumed around him just as Ryuji’s stomach started growling quite loudly.

“What the? Was that your stomach, Sakamoto-kun?” asked Akira.

“Oh……… right. I haven’t eaten anything since lunch.” muttered Ryuji in slight embarrassment to Akira and Minato. “It’d be weird splittin’ off now, so why don’t we grab a bite somewhere? And I know a place where we can eat.” said Ryuji.

“Is that so? Then lead the way, Ryuji-kun.” said Minato.

“Yeah. And also, we’ve some questions that we wanted to ask you about, Minato-kun.” said Akira firmly to Minato.

“That’s right, we do!” said Ryuji in agreement with Akira.

“Yeah, I know. I’ll answer your questions.” said Minato as he nodded to them both before they walked out of the alleyway and walked away from Shujin toward the subway station.

XXXX

**Inside the beef bowl shop in the Central Street of Shibuya………**

“WHAT!? The hell! How much shittier can that asshole be!?” yelled Ryuji in a loud, shock then angry tone of voice as he and Minato (who scowled at Ryuji for yelling loudly) stopped eating their beef bowls and glance at Akira (who’s sitting between them) after he told them both on how he got a criminal record.

“That’s terrible. I’m sorry to hear that, Akira-kun. And I agreed with Ryuji-kun, that man who did that to you is truly an asshole.” said Minato sadly to Akira.

“It’s fine, Ryuji-kun and Minato-kun. And also, calm down and don’t yell so loud next time, Ryuji-kun. It’s all in the past now.” said Akira reassuringly to Minato then sternly to Ryuji for his yelling.

“Are you for real, Kurusu? If it was me, I wouldn’t calm down until I punched that dick in his face.” said Ryuji.

“And so, you left your hometown and came to Shibuya to live with the owner of Leblanc café named Sojiro Sakura, huh?” asked Minato rhetorically to Akira.

“Yes, that’s right.” replied Akira with a nod of his head.

“You know, after hearing about your past, you and me might be more alike than I originally thought, Kurusu.” said Ryuji.

“And exactly what do you mean by that, Ryuji-kun? What did you do?” asked Akira.

“Yeah, tell us. What did you do?” added Minato.

“Well, I don’t got a record like you. I mean, that’s not the point.” replied Ryuji as he frown at them both.

“Then what’s your point, Ryuji-kun?” said Akira.

“I think what Ryuji mean is that how the both you and him are treated like useless hindrances by the other people around us, like you two don’t have a place to belong.” explained Minato.

“What the heck, Arisato? Why you have to say it out to him before I did?” said Ryuji as he scowled at Minato.

“Oh, sorry about that, Ryuji-kun. I’ll keep quiet now and let you tell him the rest yourself.” said Minato as he briefly raised his hands in a mock placating manner before he resumed eating his beef bowl.

“So, spill, Ryuji-kun.” said Akira.

“Well, I did something stupid at school before though, that’s it.” replied Ryuji before he trailed off into silence.

“What? That’s it?” said Akira.

“Yeah, that’s it, Kurusu.” said Ryuji before he and Akira turned and glance at Minato. “Now it’s your turn to answer our questions, Arisato. Why the hell would you point a gun at your head and shoot yourself!? Are you crazy or something!?” demanded Ryuji.

“Because that’s how I’m able to summon forth my persona, unlike you and Akira-kun here who summon forth your own personas by ripping off your masks. And no, I’m not crazy, Ryuji-kun.” explained Minato calmly and a bit coldly to them.

“Wait a minute. Are you telling us that there’s more than one way to summon personas?” asked Akira.

“Yes, you’re right.” replied Minato with a nod of his head.

“I see. How you had to shoot yourself to summon forth your persona is different, interesting and as morbid as how Ryuji-kun and I had to ripped off our masks to summon forth our personas. Not only that, the way you easily accept your situation as a persona-user and fighting those shadows makes me assumed and think that you’ve experience in fighting and dealing with them before, am I right, Minato-kun?” asked Akira.

“Right again, Akira-kun. You’re quite the smart one for assuming and thinking about it. Thus, I’ll tell you and Ryuji-kun about a long tale about myself and only focus on the points.” replied Minato as he smiled and nodded approvingly at Akira for assuming and thinking correctly about him before he proceed to tell him and Ryuji about the Apathy Syndrome, Dark Hour, Tartarus tower, twelve Arcana Shadows, the Harbinger of Death, the coming of the Fall, him and his teammates last battle against Nyx Avatar and the true Greek Goddess of the Night, Nyx herself and lastly, him giving up his entire life-force to become the Great Seal to sealed Nyx away. “And there you two have it, the long tale about myself and my teammates and the ordeal that we’ve gone through together 5, 6 years ago, Akira-kun and Ryuji-kun.” finished Minato.

“Holy Christ, what a long tale you just told me and Ryuji-kun, Minato-kun. It’s just so hard to believe it.” said Akira with a shock, concern and sad look on his face at Minato.

“Yeah, Arisato. The story you told us about you and your teammates fighting and going through all those things and of you dying to seal away a freaking goddess is a bit too much for us. I mean like, there’s no way it can be real and how can you be dead when you’re alive and breathing with us right now?” said Ryuji (who had the same looks on his face too) in agreement with Akira.

“You two better believe it because it’s real and it did happen to me and my teammates 5, 6 years ago and the reason why I’m alive now instead of staying dead to keep on doing my duty as the Great Seal is because Elizabeth liberate me from my duty and resurrected me to help you guys out, especially you, Akira Kurusu. Besides, didn’t what we experience and go through back in Kamoshida’s castle before escaping from it also real to us all?” said Minato coolly to them both (which make them had embarrassed looks on their faces before they apologize to him about it and he accepts their apologies).

Akira, Ryuji and Minato then talk some more about Minato himself before they change the subject about finding and gathering witnesses or evidences to exposed Kamoshida before they fell silent, pay for their foods and drinks (and Minato bought a take-away beef bowl for Makoto) before they left the beef bowl shop, bade farewell to each other before they head to the station and went home separately.

XXXX

**Inside the Niijima apartment home……….**

“Welcome back, Minato-kun. Although, may I ask on how you came back a bit late today?” asked Makoto coolly to Minato after she greeted him.

“Hello, Niijima-san. The reason why I came back a bit late is because I was walking around the city trying to familiarize myself and remember the place so that I don’t get lost the next time. And let me guess, your sister won’t be back tonight because of her job, huh?” replied Minato coolly back to her before he ask her another question.

“Oh, I see. And you’re right about her.” said Makoto a bit guiltily to him. “………Well, are you hungry now? I could cook up some dinner for us to eat now.”

“No, that won’t be necessary because I’ve already ate during my walking around the city and there’s no need for you to cook dinner for yourself because I’ve already bought dinner for you, Niijima-san. Here you go.” said Minato as he walked toward her and put down the purchase beef bowl on the table in front of her.

“Oh, thank you for the purchase dinner, Minato-kun.” said Makoto thankfully to Minato.

“No problem. Well, I’m feeling quite tired now so I’ll be taking a quick bath then head to my room for an early sleep. Good night, Niijima-san.” said Minato as he turned and walked toward the bathroom.

“Good night then, Minato-kun. And there’s no need for you to keep calling me Niijima-san. You can call me by my first name.” Makoto told him.

“Alright, Makoto-san.” said Minato before he went into the bathroom for his quick bath, dry himself up and put on his pajamas before he went into his room and fell asleep.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, inside a spacious and expensive-looking office room inside a mansion on the island………**

“Are you sure that you detected the presence of Death appearing and it is now somewhere in Tokyo, Aigis?” said a fair-skinned, dark red-haired, grey-eyed beautiful, cold and intimidating-looking woman wearing a dark grey business suit and pants and matching heels on her feet sitting on a chair behind a table quite firmly to the blonde-haired, blue-eyed female android named Aigis standing in front of her.

“Yes, I’m very sure about it, Mitsuru-san. There’s no mistake from my detection device inside me. Please, sent me and a few of our other old friends to Tokyo to search for it and sealed it again or destroy it if possible.” said Aigis firmly to the woman named Mitsuru (who’s thinking in deep silence about it before she finally nodded to her).

“Very well, Aigis. I’m going to call up our friends and ask if any of them are free to go with you to Tokyo to find Death. In the meantime, go back to your room and wait for further orders from me.” said Mitsuru as she picked up her phone and started calling their old friends.

“Understood, Mitsuru-san.” said Aigis thankfully to Mitsuru before she turned and left Mitsuru’s office and head back to her room to wait for further orders.


	12. Chapter 12

**The next day………**

Both Minato and Makoto woke up early the next day, cleaned themselves up and put on their uniforms, take their bags and bade farewell to Sae before they left the apartment and head to the station to take the train to school. Once the train arrived in Aoyama station, they got off and head toward and entered the school before they went in to their classroom and sat at their seats.

“Good morning, Minato-kun.” greeted Hanzo as he smiled politely at Minato.

“Yeah, good morning, Hanzo-kun.” Minato greeted and smiled politely back to Hanzo before he and Hanzo fell silent when they saw Kanakubo-sensei came into the classroom, greeted and began teaching the students about history until the time for the volleyball rally came.

“Okay, students. Now that the volleyball rally has begun, head straight to the gymnasium once you all have changed into your gym outfits, got it?” said Kanakubo-sensei to the students before he turned and left the classroom.

Soon after Kanakubo-sensei left the classroom, Minato, Makoto, Hanzo, Haru and the other students stood up and left the classroom to head to the boys and girls locker rooms to change into their gym outfits while the students (except Minato, Makoto, Hanzo and Haru) chatted excitedly among themselves. After they change into their gym outfits (short sleeve white T-shirts with long sleeve red track jacket (with white arrow patterns on it) over it and long red pants), they then left the locker rooms and head to the gym.

Once Minato, Makoto, Hanzo and Haru and the rest of their classmates entered the gym, they split up and both Makoto and Haru make their way past the cheering students toward the blue folding chairs that’s arranged in a straight line in front of the gym’s stage and they sat down on two of the chairs and began talking, Hanzo choose to stand and leaned against the wall while Minato head to where both Akira and Ryuji are after he noticed them sitting on the floor.

“Hey, you guys.” Minato greeted to them both as he sat down next to Ryuji.

“Hey back, Arisato.” greeted Ryuji.

“Hi, Arisato-kun.” greeted Akira as well before the 3 of them fell silent and watched with cold looks on their faces as Kamoshida and his team of teachers beat the team of students.

“Still the same. She hasn’t change one bit.” said Ryuji suddenly and caused both Minato and Akira to glance in confusion at him and they saw him staring at a pretty fair-skinned, twin-tailed blonde-haired, light blue-eyed girl sitting on one of the blue folding chairs.

“Who is she, Sakamoto-kun? Someone you know?” asked Akira.

“Huh? Oh yeah. I guess you can say that, Kurusu.” replied Ryuji as he glance back at both Minato and Akira before he yawned, raised and stretch his arms a little. “Pretty boring just sitting here and watch, isn’t it?” said Ryuji.

“Not only it’s boring, it’s also very painful to watch as Kamoshida and his team of teachers decimate those volleyball members.” said Minato in an anger tone of voice to Ryuji (who mentally agreed with him) before they fell silent and resumed watching the rally.

After a while of Akira, Ryuji, Minato the rest of the students watched as Kamoshida kept on jumping and smacking the volleyball past the male students who jumped and try to get the ball to no avail, he jumped and smacked the ball another time past the male students and the ball went straight to a short blue-haired student, smacked hard right on his face (which caused some of the female students to gasped and covered their mouths in worry and horror) before he fell sideways on the floor and the ball slowly roll away from him. Kamoshida glance at the fallen student with a brief smug smirk then a frown look on his face before he make his way past the other male students toward the fallen student and got down on one knee near him.

“ _Alright, that’s it. What he did to that poor student has gone a little too far now._ ” thought Minato in more anger in his mind as he watched Kamoshida approach and got down on one knee near the fallen and injured student.

“Sorry! Hey, are you alright!?” said Kamoshida worriedly to the student before he turned to glance at the other students. “Someone! Take him to the nurse’s office!” Kamoshida told the students.

“I’ll do it, Kamoshida-sensei. I’ll take him to the nurse office.” said Minato as he stood up (while ignoring both Akira and Ryuji staring in confusion at him), walked toward the student and Kamoshida (who nodded to him) and grabbed his arms gently to pulled him up before Minato bring the student out of the gym and toward the nurse office.

“ _How kind of you to help Mishima-kun right after he got injured by that no-good and abusive Kamoshida purposely spiking the ball right at his face, Minato-kun._ ” thought Hanzo slightly proudly in his mind as he watched Minato helped bring the student out of the gym and toward the nurse office before he grudgingly resumed watching the match with the others.

XXXX

**Inside the nurse office………**

The student winced and hissed in pain as Minato softly pressed the ice wrapped in a cloth against the bruise mark on his nose after they came into the nurse office (while both Akira and Ryuji had already left the gym and walked around the school to find and talk to the injured volleyball members).

“I know it hurts but try to bear it and apply pressure on it for a half-hour until the bruise mark go down, alright? And also, are you alright after being spiked in the face just now?” asked Minato calmly to the student while noticing that there are other bruise marks on his arms and legs besides the one on his nose. “ _That no-good abusive teacher………_ ” thought Minato angrily in his mind.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. And thanks for helping and bringing me here.” replied the student slightly nervously then thankfully to Minato.

“You’re welcome………” said Minato before he trailed off due to not knowing the student’s name.

“Oh, I’m Yuuki Mishima.” said the student named Yuuki Mishima, introducing himself to Minato when he realised that Minato doesn’t know his name.

“Nice to meet you, Yuuki Mishima-kun. I’m Minato Arisato.” said Minato as he smiled politely and introduced himself to Mishima.

“Minato Arisato? You mean you’re the other transfer student that came to school with Niijima-san for the past few days?” said Mishima in a surprise tone of voice to Minato.

“Yes, I am. Why do you say that, Mishima-kun?” said Minato suspiciously to Mishima.

“S-Sorry about that. It just slipped out.” said Mishima apologetically to Minato.

“Apology accepted, Mishima-kun.” said Minato.

“ _Excuse me, Minato, have you forgotten about agreeing to helped Akira and Ryuji out to find and talk to those abused students to exposed that Kamoshida’s could be abusing them yesterday?_ ” said Pharos, reminding Minato.

“ _No, I haven’t forgotten about it, Pharos._ ” said Minato coolly to Pharos before he glance at Mishima. “Mishima-kun, there’s some questions that I wanted to ask from you.”

“Some questions you wanted to ask me, Arisato-kun? Sure, what is it?” said Mishima.

“Why and how do you have those bruises on your arms and legs besides the recent one on your nose, Mishima-kun?……… Are they also from Kamoshida?” asked Minato bluntly to Mishima (who gasped and widened his eyes in shock at Minato).

“H-How do you……… Of course they are………” Mishima started protesting then fell silent when Minato gave him the coldest glare, far worse then what Kamoshida often did to him and to the other volleyball members.

“So I’m right, those do come from Kamoshida too. If so then why didn’t you or the others say anything about it to the other teachers or your parents?” said Minato as he crossed his arms and ponder about it before a realization look appear on his face. “Unless……… Kamoshida threaten and blackmail you all to not say a word about it or the teachers and your parents knew about it but say and do nothing.” added Minato.

“Y-Yeah, it’s exactly like what you thought and say out, Arisato-kun.” said Mishima in a sad and horror tone of voice to Minato before he started explaining more about what Kamoshida did to not just him and the other male students, but also to the female students that joined the volleyball team until he’s done and he lowered his head and broke down in silence.

“ _Good god, what Mishima-kun just told me is worse than what I initially thought. How could that bastard do such things to both the male and female students that joined the volleyball club and what’s more, he’s got the protection and backing of the principal who only sees him as nothing but a golden goose that make the image of Shujin Academy look good and pristine! What terrible people those two are!_ ” thought Minato even more in anger about Kamoshida and the principal now.

“ _I agreed with you, Minato. Those two are terrible humans indeed._ ” said Pharos in agreement with Minato.

“A-Arisato-kun, please don’t let Kamoshida know that I told you all about it, okay?” pleaded Mishima weakly to Minato once he stopped crying.

“Don’t worry, I won’t, Mishima-kun and thank you for telling me about it.” said Minato reassuringly to Mishima before he turned, stepped out of the Nurse Office and closed the door behind him, felt his phone vibrated with messages and he pull it out and saw that he received messages from both Akira and Ryuji, telling him that they had almost no luck from questioning the other volleyball members and he reply back to them that he got some info from Mishima and Ryuji reply back saying that they should meet up in the courtyard before Minato turned off and put his phone back into his pocket and head toward the courtyard to meet up with them. As Minato stepped out of the school building and approach the courtyard, he saw the twin-tailed blonde-haired, light blue-eyed girl walked away from the courtyard and she stopped and scowled when she noticed him.

“What are you doing here? Wait a minute……… Are you with Sakamoto and the other transfer student too?” said the girl bluntly to Minato.

“What about it?” said Minato bluntly back to the girl.

“Since you don’t deny that you’re with them, let me give you a warning too. Whatever you, Sakamoto and the other transfer student are planning to do to Kamoshida, don’t do it because no one’s gonna help you guys if you do.” said the girl slightly concernly to Minato before she fell silent and walked past him to head back into the school building.

Minato watched the girl leave with a slightly cold look on his face before he entered the small resting area of the courtyard where both Akira and Ryuji are waiting for him.

“Hey, Arisato-kun.” greeted Akira.

“Hey, Kurusu-kun.” Minato greeted back to Akira.

“Why’s she gotta be so aggressive all the time………?” said Ryuji in an annoyed tone of voice to himself.

“Do you know her, Sakamoto-kun?” asked Minato.

“Yeah, I know her because we went to the same middle school.” replied Ryuji before he slowly shake his head at him. “Anyways, that’s not what we’re here to talk about. I had no luck on my end. What about you two? Did anything like someone’s name turn up?” asked Ryuji.

“I got a name from one of them, Ryuji. Mishima. And he said that Mishima is involved in a “special coaching” of Kamoshida.” said Akira.

“And I got more from Mishima-kun himself after I take him to the Nurse Office.” said Minato before he proceed to tell them both what Mishima told him and they listen in attentive silence until he’s done telling them and Ryuji raised and slammed his fist against the vending machine while Akira clench and unclench his fists, both of them were quite livid about it.

“That goddamn son of a bitch! I can’t believe it!” growled Ryuji in anger.

“Neither can I. Also can’t believe that the teachers and parents were also keeping quiet and do nothing about it.” said Akira with an angry scowl on his face. “So what are we gonna do now?” asked Akira.

“……… I’ll try one more time to persuade the other guys to confess about it. That’s……… all I can do.” replied Ryuji almost quietly to both Akira and Minato.

“I see. Then I wish you good luck then, Sakamoto-kun.” said Minato.

“So do I. And I’ll see you two tomorrow.” said Akira.

“Thanks and yeah, see you guys tomorrow.” said Ryuji gratefully to both Akira and Minato.

“Yeah, see you two tomorrow.” said Minato as he, Akira and Ryuji bade farewell to each other before the three of them left the courtyard, head back to the locker room to change back to their uniforms before they left the locker room, split up to head back to their classroom and Minato pack up his bag, bade farewell to both Hanzo and Haru before he and Makoto left the school and head home.


	13. Chapter 13

**A few minutes later, inside the Niijima apartment………**

“Welcome back, Makoto and Arisato-kun.” greeted Sae to both Minato and Makoto after they came back from school (and didn’t noticed that Mitsuyoshi is sitting and going through some Tokugawa files in the living room) without looking up from her laptop that she’s typing on diligently at the table in the kitchen.

“We’re back, Sis.” Makoto greeted back to her.

“Yeah, Niijima-san.” added Minato.

“Welcome back, you two.” greeted Mitsuyoshi politely to them both as well (while he put down the files, stood up and approach and stopped in front of them).

“Oh, Tokugawa-san! I didn’t noticed that you’re here too.” said Makoto in a surprise tone of voice to Mitsuyoshi.

“That’s okay, Makoto, I’ll was just escorting your sister home. And you must be Minato Arisato, the young man who’s living with Sae and her sister, right? My name is Mitsuyoshi Tokugawa, it’s nice to meet you, Arisato-kun.” said Mitsuyoshi reassuringly to Makoto before he glance, talk and introduced himself to Minato while holding out his hand for a handshake.

“Yeah, it’s nice to meet you too, Tokugawa-san.” said Minato politely to Mitsuyoshi (who smiled at him) as he shake his hand.

“Well then, I should be going now to do my next prosecuting case against a psychiatrist that threatens and blackmails her clients. Goodbye, Sae, Makoto and Arisato-kun.” said Mitsuyoshi as he turned and approach Sae to give her a soft kiss on her cheek (which make her blush a little) before he picked up his files in the living room, bade farewell to them and left the apartment.

“Tokugawa-san seems quite the nice man and he’s quite close to your sister, isn’t he, Makoto-san?” asked Minato as he glance at Makoto.

“Yeah, of course he is and the reason why he’s close to my sister is because he’s her fiancé.” replied Makoto as she glance at Minato.

“Oh, he is, huh? I see and congrats to your sister.” said Minato as he smiled and nodded to Makoto (who smiled back at him).

“So, how was school today for you two?” asked Sae.

“Very uneventful most of the time, the only eventful thing that we see today is Kamoshida-sensei and his team of teachers playing volleyball against a team of students.” replied Minato as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh yeah, that reminds me, Minato-kun. How’s Mishima-kun after you take him to the nurse’s office?” asked Makoto concernly to Minato.

“He’s fine, Makoto-san. He only had a nasty bruise on his nose. And I did try to soothed his bruised nose a little with an ice covered in a cloth.” replied Minato coolly to Makoto. “ _And I also noticed that he had other nasty bruises on his arms and legs too, no thanks to that bastard of a PE teacher before he broke down and pleaded me to keep what he told me a secret from Kamoshida._ ” added Minato coldly in his mind.

“I see. Good to know that you helped him after you take him to the nurse’s office, Minato-kun. And I’ll be going to my room to study now, so good night, you two.” said Makoto as she gave another smile to Minato before she excused herself to both Sae and Minato and head down the hallway toward her room and went in.

Soon after Makoto went into her room, Minato went into the kitchen to find and cooked for himself and Sae-san two plates of omelette rice for dinner. After he’s done cooking, bring and put the two plates of omelette rice on the table (which make Sae give him a grateful smile), they ate and finish it and Minato bring and washed the plates before he bade goodnight to Sae and went back to his room while Sae went back to do her work on the Mental Shutdown and Psychotic Breakdown cases.

XXXX

**The next day………**

Both Minato and Makoto woke up early, had their baths separately, change into their uniforms and had breakfast with Sae before they bade farewell to her and left the apartment, head to the station to take the train to Aoyama-Itchome. Once they’ve arrived, got off the train with the other passengers and left the station, they meet up and greeted both Hanzo and Haru walking in front of them among the other students and they went into the school and into their classroom.

Soon the Math teacher, Usami-sensei came and began teaching Math to the class and Minato, Makoto, Hanzo, Haru and the other students quietly listens to Usami-sensei’s lecture before Minato felt his phone vibrating with messages and he discreetly pull his phone out and glance down at it.

RS: _So, I try to find more witnesses and persuade them to exposed what Kamoshida did to them but they refused to talk or do anything about it! Looks like we’ve no choice but to get it outta Takamaki._

MA: _Takamaki? Oh, you mean that twin-tailed blonde-haired girl that warned us in the small resting area in the courtyard yesterday?_

RS: _Yes, that’s right, Arisato. Since the witnesses that we found and met are too scared to say or do anything, that’s why I figured that it’d be a good idea to talk to someone who knows them._

AK: _Like who?_

RS: _Shiho Suzui._

MA: _Who’s Shiho Suzui?_

RS: _Shiho Suzui is BFF with Takamaki and she’s a starter in the team. I tried to talk to that girl during break, but I got nothing from her. That’s why we should have Takamaki talk to her._

MA: _Are you sure about that, Sakamoto-kun? What if she doesn’t want to._

RS: _We gotta try somehow, Arisato. If she doesn’t want to then maybe you can try talking to her. Also, later we’ll meet up in the courtyard’s resting area._

MA: _Alright, I’ll try if she don’t want to._

AK: _Got it, see you two later and good luck, Arisato-kun._

“Hey, Minato-kun, stop texting on your phone and pay attention before Usami-sensei caught you.” whisper Hanzo in disapproval to Minato when he noticed him texting his phone under the desk.

“Oh sorry, Hanzo-kun.” whisper Minato apologetically to Hanzo (who nodded and glance back at Usami-sensei) after he’s done in reading and sending messages to both Akira and Ryuji on his phone, turned off and discreetly put his phone back into his pocket while Makoto also noticed what Minato just did with a slight suspicious look on her face before she shrug and resumed listening to Usami-sensei’s lecture.

XXXX

**Several hours later………**

Minato is on his way to the courtyard to meet up with Akira and Ryuji when he suddenly bumped against someone, stopped and saw that the person he bumped against is a slightly tan-skinned, long ponytail black-haired, brown-eyed girl wearing a light beige-coloured shirt with the sleeves roll up to her elbows, square pattern red and black skirt, a black cloth around her right leg and white shoes and socks on her feet.

“I’m sorry!” said the girl quickly and apologetically to Minato.

“No, it’s okay. I’m the one who should say sorry for bumping into you so you don’t have to apologize and I’m sorry.” said Minato reassuringly to the girl.

“………Well, if you say so, okay then.” said the girl, feeling a bit relief now.

“Are you alright because that bruise above your eye looks terrible.” said Minato as he noticed the bruise mark above her eye. “ _Could she also be another member and victim of that bastard?_ ” thought Minato angrily in his mind.

“Huh………? Um, well……… it’s nothing and I’m alright so you don’t have to worry about it.” stammered the girl as she glance away and started fidgeting for a few seconds before she calm down and glance back at Minato. “Hm, you don’t look familiar. Could you be the other transfer student that came to school with Niijima-senpai?” asked the girl curiously.

“That’s right, I am and the name’s Minato Arisato. And you are………” replied Minato as he nodded to the girl before he introduced himself and ask for her name.

“It’s nice to meet you, Minato Arisato-kun. My name is Shiho Suzui.” said the girl as she introduced herself to Minato.

“ _Shiho Suzui, huh? So this girl is the one who’s BFF with that Takamaki girl that Sakamoto-kun mention in the chat._ ” thought Minato to himself.

“Ah, sorry for taking your timE. I should be going to practice now……… I’ll see you around, Arisato-kun.” said Shiho softly to Minato as she walked past him before he could say or do anything.

Minato watched her leave with a worry and pity look on his face before he opened the door, went to the courtyard’s resting area and he greeted Akira and saw Ryuji with his arms crossed and his foot tapping the ground relentlessly.

“Dammit. What the hell………” muttered Ryuji in frustration to himself.

“Let me guess, no luck in convincing them at all, Sakamoto-kun?” said Minato.

“Yeah, you guess correct, Arisato-kun.” said Akira as he nodded to Minato.

“Is that what it looks like?” replied Ryuji sarcastically at Minato before he clench, raised and slammed his fist against the vending machine next to him as he glance down at the ground. “All of ‘em keep sayin’ the same shit Mishima was talkin’ bout and they’re too afraid of Kamoshida to do anything about it!”

“At this rate, we’ll have no choice but to confront him directly but even so, it’ll still be pointless for us to do so.” said Minato grimly to them.

“Yeah, you’re right.” said Akira in solemn agreement with Minato.

“Yeah, we know……… But seriously, isn’t there something we can do? No way I’m gonna give in like this! Can you think of anything?” demanded Ryuji desperately to them.

“Sorry, I got nothing.” said Minato sadly to Ryuji.

“How about we try a sneak attack?” suggested Akira.

“That’d be fine if we could do it without getting’ caught, but……… if we did, we’d be seriously done for. You got any other ideas?” said Ryuji.

“ _Hm……… The cops are out because they already don’t believe Ryuji and think that he’s on drugs when he mention the castle to them……… Hold on! That’s it!_ ” thought Akira to himself as he got another idea. “We can go to that other world and punish the king, Ryuji-kun.” suggested Akira.

“The king………? You mean that other world’s Kamoshida?” said Ryuji in surprise to Akira.

“Hey, that’s a good idea, Kurusu-kun. It just might work out.” said Minato as he nodded to Akira.

“I didn’t think of that, but……… Is there any meaning to-” said Ryuji to them before he got cut off by an unknown yet familiar voice.

“I finally found you guys………” said the unknown yet familiar voice to Akira, Minato and Ryuji (who started looking confusingly around the area for the source of the voice and didn’t see anyone and also didn’t noticed the blue-eyed, black and white cat wearing a yellow collar around it’s neck approaching them).

“……… You guys say something?” Ryuji asked Akira and Minato (who shook their heads at him).

“ _Although that voice sounds familiar for some reason………_ ” thought Minato to himself.

“Don’t think you guys can get away with not paying me back for helping you.” said the cat as it jumped onto the table in front of them (which make both Akira and Ryuji gasped and take a step back in shock while Minato glance calmly at the cat talking to them).

“That voice……… Is that you, Morgana!?” said Ryuji incredulously to Morgana (who turned around and glared disapprovingly at him).

“How dare you guys, suddenly just run and leaving me behind the other day!” said Morgana angrily at Akira, Minato and Ryuji.

“The cat’s talkin’!?” exclaimed Ryuji even more incredulously at Morgana (which make Minato rolled his eyes at him).

“I am NOT a cat!” said Morgana even more angrily at Ryuji. “This is just what happened to me when I came to this world! It was a lot of trouble finding you three.”

“Is that so? Well then, you did quite good in finding us, Morgana.” said Minato quite proudly to Morgana (who gave him a small smile).

“Wait……… You came to our world!? Does that mean you’ve got a phone!?” asked Ryuji as he approach Morgana.

“What a moron. You don’t need one when you’re at my level.” said Morgana coolly to Ryuji as he groomed himself. “Though I did get pretty lost making my escape………” muttered Morgana quietly to himself.

“That aside, why can you talk!? You’re a cat!” asked Ryuji.

“How should I know!?” Morgana snapped back at him.

“You two hearin’ this too………?” asked Ryuji as he glance at both Akira and Minato.

“Yeah, I did.” replied Minato calmly to Ryuji.

“So do I.” added Akira as he nodded to Ryuji.

“You guys are having a rough time of this, hm? I heard you mention something about witnesses.” said Morgana haughtily to them.

“Oh, shuddup.” said Ryuji irritatedly at Morgana.

“Yeah, that’s right, we did, Morgana.” said Akira.

“You know, I could tell you guys a thing or two about what to do about Kamoshida. You were pretty close just a moment ago, Akira.” said Morgana as he glance at Akira with an impressed look on his face.

“God, that condencendin’ attitude! This thing’s gotta be Morgana!” said Ryuji as he crossed his arms and scowled at Morgana.

“You were still doubting me!?” yelled Morgana angrily at Ryuji.

“Ack………! Quiet down!” snapped Ryuji in a panic at Morgana before he, Akira and Minato heard some teachers talking nearby them.

“We really have to be looking for a cat in a busy time like this………?” said one of the teacher to the other one walking then stopping next to him.

“I just heard a meow somewhere near here. Didn’t you hear it?” asked the other teacher.

“Make sure you check every nook and cranny around.” said the first teacher as he let out a sigh before the two teachers resumed walking away.

“Meow………?” said Ryuji in confusion about what the two teachers just said. “Does that mean only us three can understand what you’re sayin’?” asked Ryuji.

“Looks like it.” replied Morgana.

“What the hell’s goin’ on………?” said Ryuji as he scratch his head in frustration again. “Anyways, what you were talkin’ about earlier……… Is it for real?” Ryuji asked Morgana again.

“You’re quite the skeptic for being an idiot.” replied Morgana with an exasperated look on his face at Ryuji.

“As much as we want you to tell us more. This place probably isn’t the best place………” said Akira.

“That’s true, Kurusu.” said Ryuji in agreement to Akira before he grabbed and lifted Morgana up by his collar and hand him toward Akira. “Here, stick it in your bag for now, Kurusu! It should be just small enough to fit!”

“Hey, how dare you treat me like-” Morgana began protesting and struggling against Ryuji’s grip on his collar.

"Be quiet, you! Let’s go, you two!” said Ryuji as he scowled at the struggling Morgana in his hand before he, Akira, Minato and Morgana quickly left the courtyard and went up the stairs toward the school’s rooftop.


	14. Chapter 14

**On the rooftop.........**

After Akira, Ryuji and Minato arrived on the rooftop and Ryuji closed the door behind him, Akira then crouch down, opened his bag to let Morgana out while Minato take a look around the rooftop and saw some AC machine units, some old tables and chairs stacked one upon another behind Akira and some plants growing quite healthily inside 2 white rectangular boxes behind Ryuji before he went and sat down on one of the chairs then he, Akira and Ryuji glance at Morgana.

“Well, here we are on the roof now, Morgana. So let’s hear on what you’re going to tell us.” said Akira.

“Yeah, I know.” said Morgana.

“Yeah, you said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?” demanded Ryuji as he glance down at Morgana.

“Yep. It has to do with what Akira was talking about earlier. You three will need to attack his castle.” replied Morgana as he gestured with his head at Akira.

“Attack his castle?” said Minato in confusion to Morgana.

“What do you mean………?” said Ryuji as he scratch his head in confusion as well.

“That castle is how Kamoshida views this school.” Morgana began saying and explaining to them as he sat down. “He doesn’t realize what happens in there, but it’s deeply connected to the depths of his heart. Thus, if the castle disappears, it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida.”

“ _I see, so that’s what he meant by us in needing to attack his castle. He seems quite informative for a cat who’s the essense of humanity’s hope, like how you warned me about the 12 arcana shadows that came out on the nights of the full moons in my dorm room back then._ ” thought Minato to himself and Pharos.

“ _Yeah, he is and I know, Minato._ ” said Pharos in agreement with Minato.

“What’d happen?” asked Ryuji as he crossed his arms.

“A Palace is a manifestation of a person’s distorted desires. So, if the castle were no more………” said Morgana before he trailed off and glance at Akira.

“His distorted desires would disappear.” said Akira.

“Precisely! You sure pick up things fast!” said Morgana proudly at Akira.

“Yeah, not bad, Kurusu-kun.” said Minato proudly at Akira as well.

“T-Thanks, Morgana, Arisato-kun.” said Akira as he scratch the back of his head a little.

“For real!? H-He’s gonna turn good!?” sputtered Ryuji in surprise before he trailed off into silence.

“But still, will this method really get back at him?” asked Akira warily to Morgana.

“Erasing a Palace essentially means forcing the owner to have a change of heart. However, even though their warped wants disappear, the crimes they committed remain. Kamoshida will become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he’ll confess them himself!” replied Morgana as he grinned widely at them.

“You for real!? That’s possible!?” said Ryuji excitedly to Morgana (who nodded to him).

“And since the Palace will no longer exist, he’ll forget what we did there as well. Not only will we be able to bring Kamoshida down, but there won’t even be a trace of our involvement.” said Morgana smugly to them.

“That’s amazing! You are one incredible cat!” said Ryuji as he smiled joyfully at Morgana.

“True, except for the cat part!” snapped Morgana in mock-annoy at Ryuji.

“So? How do we get rid of the Palace!?” asked Ryuji excitedly to Morgana.

“Wow, someone sure is very excited about it.” thought Akira as he glance in slight exasperation at Ryuji.

“By stealing the Treasure held within.” replied Morgana.

“Stealing the Treasure………?” said Ryuji in confusion to Morgana.

“What do you mean by that, Morgana?” asked Akira.

“I’ll tell you 3 more once you 3 agree to go ahead with this. It’s my most valuable, secret plan, after all. If you 3 wanna help me out, I’ll gladly teach you three. So, what’s your call?” said Morgana coolly to Akira, Ryuji and Minato (who glance at each other).

“Our luck’s runnin’ dry lookin’ for witnesses. Guess we have no choice but to go along………” said Ryuji to Akira and Minato before he trailed off into silence.

“Yeah, you’re right.” said Akira as he nodded to him.

“Well then, what are we waiting here for? Let’s do it then.” said Minato as he nodded as well.

“………Good.” said Morgana as he smiled approvingly to them before he remember something. “Oh, right. There’s one more thing I should tell you three.”

“One more thing, like what?” asked Akira.

“If we erase a Palace, there is no doubt that the person’s distorted desires will be erased as well. But desires are what we all need in order to survive. The will to eat, sleep, fall in love-those sorts of things.” replied Morgana.

“What’re you gettin’ at?” asked Ryuji confusingly to Morgana.

“Stop interrupting and listen to what he’s telling and explaining to us, Sakamoto-kun!” said Minato in an annoy tone of voice to Ryuji (who scowled at him).

“If all of those yearnings were to vanish, they’d be no different than someone who had shut down entirely. They may even die if they’re not given the proper care. So………” replied Morgana before he trailed off and glance away from them.

“They might die………!?” said Ryuji in a shock tone of voice to Morgana.

“ _If we do this to him, he might end up like those mental shutdown victims that I saw happening on TV?_ ” thought Akira grimly to himself.

“ _What he just said sounds a bit similar those Apathy Syndrome victims back in Port Island years ago, huh?_ ” thought Minato coolly in his mind.

“ _Yeah, that’s true, Minato._ ” said Pharos.

“Will you listen to everything I have to say first?” said Morgana irritatedly at Ryuji for cutting off his words.

“Would their death be our fault………?” asked Ryuji quietly to himself.

“Aren’t you determined enough to face those kinds of risks?” said Morgana in a no-nonsense tone of voice to Ryuji.

“Hey……… What do you two think?” asked Ryuji as he glance at Akira and Minato.

“We’ll have to risk it, Sakamoto-kun. For the sake of those who suffered because of him.” replied Minato bluntly to Ryuji.

“Are you serious, Arisato?” said Ryuji in disbelief at Minato.

“Well, I’m not doing it, Arisato-kun. Kamoshida may be an asshole and a scum but I won’t do it on the off chance that he might die.” said Akira as he shake his head.

“Sheesh……… I come all this way, and this is what I get. It’s not like anyone will ever find out.” said Morgana in exasperation to them.

“That’s not the point!” said Ryuji as he glared down at Morgana. “If we just go around secretly doing whatever we want, we’d be no better than that effin’ Kamoshida.”

“Isn’t that the only option for you three?” retorted Morgana as he rolled his eyes at them before he stood up, turned around to walked toward and stopped in front of the partially opened door. “………I’ll come back later or tomorrow. Make sure you three have made your decisions by then.” Morgana added to them before he walk through the door and left them.

After Morgana left them, Akira, Ryuji and Minato briefly glance at each other before both Akira and Ryuji sigh in unison while Minato stay silent.

“Arisato, why the eff would you go and say that? What if he really will die if we do it? This isn’t like what you did before in another city!” demanded Ryuji.

“Like I said just now, it’s a risk. Or are you telling me that you don’t care about those students that suffered because of him? And this may not be what I did before but that doesn’t matter right now!” said Minato coldly to Ryuji.

“That’s not what I mean! It’s just that……… Man, we’re gettin’ all worked up for nothing……… Dammit!” snapped Ryuji in exasperation to himself.

“Calm down, Sakamoto-kun and Arisato-kun, why don’t you think it over until you’re sure and don’t regret it. Alright?” said Akira calmly to them both.

“………Fine, Kurusu-kun. I guess I’ll give it another thought.” sighed Minato.

“Good. And what are you going to do now, Sakamoto-kun?” asked Akira.

“I guess I will try and see if I can figure out another way………” replied Ryuji grimly to him.

“Well, now that we’re done talking, let’s go home.” said Minato to both Akira and Ryuji before he stood up from the chair, turned and leave the rooftop with them both.

After they leave the rooftop, Minato bade farewell to Akira and Ryuji, went back to his class, packed up his bag and bade farewell to Hanzo and Haru before he leave the school with Makoto and head down the street toward the station. As Minato and Makoto went into the subway station and waited for the train to arrive, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and he pull it out to see and read the messages on it.

RS: _Hey, you two. I just heard something that got my attention._

MA: _Like what?_

AK: _What is it that you just heard, Sakamoto-kun?_

RS: _About that Suzui girl……… Looks like rumors are going around about her and Kamoshida. If they’re true, it’s no wonder I couldn’t get her to talk. Still, something about that doesn’t seem right._

MA: _Yeah, I think you’re right about it._

AK: _So you two think so too, huh, Arisato-kun, Sakamoto-kun?_

RS: _It’s just impossible. I’ve known Takamaki and Suzui since middle school. There's no way that Kamoshida's their type. So I wonder where those rumors come from._

MA: _About where those rumors come from and whether they’re true or not, we’ll find out and know the truth hopefully soon._

AK: _Yeah, you’re right, Arisato-kun._

RS: _Well, whatever. I’ll try asking around some more._

MA: _Good luck to you then, Sakamoto-kun._

“Who are you texting to on your phone, Minato-kun?” asked Makoto when she noticed him texting on his phone.

“Oh, just some new friends that I became with today, Makoto-san.” replied Minato as he stop texting, closed and put his phone back into his pocket.

“Oh? Who are they then, Minato-kun?” asked Makoto again.

“Akira Kurusu and Ryuji Sakamoto.” replied Minato.

“What? The transfer student with a criminal record and the former track team member?” said Makoto with a surprise then concern look on her face. “Minato-kun, I think you should stop seeing them and be friends with them.”

“Huh? Why and what do you mean by that?” said Minato as he frown in confusion at Makoto.

“Because they’re both trouble and their bad influences will drag you down if you keep on being with them, as what the rumors said.” said Makoto concernly to Minato.

“Seriously? That’s what the rumors said about them both? What a bunch of crap and I don’t believe those false rumors about them while you actually believe them?” said Minato in disbelief at Makoto.

“T-That’s, well……… I’m just telling and concern for you, Minato-kun. I hope you don’t see and talk to them again.” said Makoto even more concernly to Minato.

“Sorry, no promises, Makoto-san.” said Minato slightly coldly to Makoto (which make her feel disappointed at him) just as their train arrived and stopped in the station and they got into it with the other passengers, head to another station, stopped and got off the train before they walked out of the subway, went back and went in to the apartment, had dinner then take separate baths before they went into their rooms and fell asleep.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, inside a spacious and expensive-looking office room inside a mansion on the island………**

“This is my order to those of you who are free, managed to come and is sitting here in my office now. You all are to accompany Aigis to Tokyo to search for Death and sealed it or destroy it if possible. Understand, Iori, Amada, Takeba and Koromaru?” said Mitsuru firmly to the 3 people and a dog sitting in their chairs in front of her.

“Leave it to us, Mitsuru-san.” said a fair-skinned, short light brown-haired, brown-eyed pretty woman named Takeba wearing a sleeveless pink and white knee-length dress with a short sleeve light blue bolero jacket over it and brown boots on her feet calmly to Mitsuru.

“Yep! You can count on us!” said a slightly tan-skinned, short buzzcut dark-haired, grey-eyed man named Iori wearing a white T-shirt with a long sleeve black jacket over it, long blue jeans and grey shoes on his feet enthusiastically to Mitsuru (which make Takeba rolled her eyes at him).

“We’ll do our best to find, sealed or destroy it as per your order, Mitsuru-san.” said a fair-skinned, short brown-haired, brown-eyed boy named Amada wearing a short sleeve black T-shirt, long grey trousers and white shoes on his feet calmly to Mitsuru as well while an albino, red-eyed Shiba Inu named Koromaru barked at her.

“Thank you for your cooperations and for helping out, all of you. Now all of you hurry and depart for Tokyo now!” ordered Mitsuru firmly to them and they all stood up and nodded to her before they turned and left the office, turned left and head toward the place where the Kirijo private plane is so that they can head to Tokyo.


	15. Chapter 15

**The next day………**

As both Minato and Makoto stepped into Shujin Academy and Minato went toward his classroom while Makoto went up to the second floor to the Student Council room, Minato once again bumped into Suzui and he quickly grabbed her before she could fall on the floor but as soon as he did, Suzui flinch and quickly shoved Minato away from her.

“Don’t touch me!” yell Suzui in fear at Minato.

“Woah, easy there, Suzui-san. What’s wrong with you, suddenly shoving me away and yelling at me like that?” said Minato in confusion at Suzui before he saw that today she’s looking very pale, had huge black rings under her eyes and her whole body is shaking while some students began talking about them. “ _Something is clearly very wrong with her today. She looks very tired, pale and shaking in despair or something else. Did that bastard abused her even worse than usual?_ ” thought Minato worriedly in his mind about Suzui then angrily about Kamoshida.

“ _He must have, or else she wouldn’t look this tired, pale and shaking in despair and she wouldn’t yell at you, Minato._ ” said Pharos worriedly to Minato.

“Huh? Oh, it’s you, Arisato-kun. I………I’m sorry for suddenly shoving and yelling at you.” said Suzui sadly and apologetically to Minato.

“That’s okay, Suzui-san. Are you alright because you’re shaking and you look more tired and pale today. Did something bad happened to you?” asked Minato concernly to Suzui (who’s face turned even paler, falter and look ready to crumble for a moment before it went away quickly).

“………No, nothing bad happened to me. I’m fine, thanks for asking and for your concern, Arisato-kun.” replied Suzui reassuringly to Minato.

“Really, are you sure, Suzui-san?” insisted Minato even more concernly to Suzui.

“Y-Yes, I’m sure, Arisato-kun. If you’ll excuse me, I feel like getting some fresh air so I’ll be going now.” said Suzui even more reassuringly to Minato before she turned and went up the stairs.

“ _Pharos, something’s really not right with her and I’ve a really bad feeling that something bad is going to happen soon._ ” said Minato in his mind to Pharos as he watched Suzui went up the stairs with a worry look on his face.

“ _Yeah, you might be right, Minato. Be on alert for the whole day._ ” said Pharos in agreement with Minato.

“ _Of course, Pharos._ ” said Minato as he went into his class, greeted both Hanzo and Haru and sat down at his seat.

XXXX

**A few minutes later, during Inui-sensei’s teaching………**

“Hey, is something wrong, Minato-kun? You look very grim today.” whisper Hanzo when he noticed the grim look on Minato’s face.

“Huh? Oh, well……… Just had a bad feeling that something’s gonna happen, Hanzo-kun.” Minato whisper back to Hanzo.

“Bad feeling? About what?” asked Hanzo concernly to Minato.

“Well………” said Minato before he fell silent when he saw Haru suddenly stand up from her seat as she look out the windows to her right with a horror look on her face.

“Haru, what is it?” asked Hanzo when he turned and saw Haru standing up from her seat with a more concern and confused look on his face before both he and Minato stood up from their seats and approach her.

“Excuse me, Okumura-kun, Arisato-kun, get back in your seats now!” said Inui-sensei in disapproval at both Minato and Hanzo.

“Hanzo, look. There’s a girl standing up there near the ledge, she look like she’s ready to jump!” replied Haru in a frighten tone of voice to Hanzo (which make him and Minato look up and they widened their eyes in shock and horror too when they saw it).

“ _No! Suzui-san!_ ” thought Minato in his mind before he quickly turned and run out of the classroom, run down a hallway and up the stairs past the other students toward the door that leads to the roof, slammed open the door and he saw Suzui standing near the ledge with her back to him.

“Suzui-san, stop! Don’t do this, please!” said Minato worriedly to Suzui.

“Stay back, Arisato-kun!” said Suzui in a despair tone of voice to Minato without looking at him.

“ _Minato, don’t try to agitate her, try to speak calmly to her so that she’ll not jump._ ” suggested Pharos concernly to Minato (who mentally agreed with Pharos’s suggestion).

“Listen to me, step away from the edge and come slowly over to me. It’s dangerous there, Suzui-san.” said Minato calmly to Suzui as he slowly walked toward her.

“Just stay back, Arisato-kun. I-I……… can’t take it anymore. B-Because he forcefully took it from me.” said Suzui, still not looking at Minato as tears glisten and fell from her eyes down her face.

“What do you mean by he forcefully took it from you?” asked Minato softly to Suzui as he finally reached Suzui and slowly hold out his hands toward her. “Please don’t let it be what I think it is that he’s done to her.” thought Minato in grim anger in his mind.

“ _From the way she’s acting now, he must have………_ ” said Pharos sadly to Minato.

“ _No, be quiet, Pharos! I refused to believe it and you're not helping right now!_ ” snapped Minato, cutting off Pharos’s words.

“Kamoshida-sensei……… H-He told Mishima-kun to find and tell me that he wants to see me in the PE faculty’s office so I went there to see him, naively thinking that he wanted to talk to me about volleyball. B-But as soon as I entered the office, h-he……… locked the door……… a-and he proceed to h-hit me……… then t-touch……… and r-raped me!” screamed Suzui as she hugged herself and she started shaking in shame, horror and despair.

Minato gasped and his face turned pale in horror at what he just heard from Suzui before he softly wrapped his arms around the shaking and sobbing poor girl to at least offer some consoling to her, which make her think back about when and how Kamoshida touch her and she immediately started thrashing in fear.

“ _See, Minato. I was right, he did do that to her. That goddamn filthy human………_ ” snarled Pharos angrily to Minato.

“Suzui-san, calm down, please! I’m trying to help you! Let me help you! Let’s leave the rooftop and told the authorities what he did to you so that he’ll be put behind bars and will not do that to you again! Please stop thrashing!” said Minato as he try to stop her from thrashing around in his arms and take her away from the ledge (while ignoring Pharos) but she wouldn’t listen or cooperate with him.

“N-No! Let me go! I can’t……… Don’t make me remember that he………!” screamed Suzui even more fearfully at Minato as her thrashing got more stronger.

“Minato-kun! Suzui-san!” yell Hanzo’s worry voice from the opened door behind them both before he run through the opened door and he froze and saw the scene with a horror look on his face (which make Minato glance in surprise at him).

The moment when Minato glance at Hanzo, Suzui break free from his arms and jump off the ledge but Minato quickly crouch down and leaned over the edge to grabbed hold of her right wrist to prevent her from falling.

“Hold on, Suzui-san! I’m going to help bring you up!” yell Minato as he try to pull her back up.

“No! Just let me go, let me fall and die, Arisato-kun!” yell Suzui as she struggle against his grip on her wrist.

“No, I won’t let you go, Suzui-san! You doing this isn’t right at all! Think about your parents and your friends! They’ll be very upset and heartbroken if they knew that you’re doing this!” yell Minato.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Arisato-kun! They knew and they don’t care or do anything about it! So just let me go already!” yell Suzui even more in despair to Minato before she raised her other hand to lash out and scratch the flesh of his hand holding her wrist, causing deep bleeding wounds to appear on his hand.

Minato grunted in pain from her scratching his hand deeply and he accidentally let go of her hand, causing Suzui to fall and landed with a loud crack on the courtyard ground below.

“NO! Suzui-san!” yell Minato as he look down from the ledge and saw Suzui lying limp and brokenly on the courtyard ground before students and teachers came out of the building toward the courtyard to surround and watched Suzui instead to helping her. “ _No……… not again. This is just like back when my teammates and I failed to saved Shinjiro-senpai and Mitsuru’s father from Takaya, the leader of Strega and bastard Ikutsuki, the chairman………_ ” thought Minato in horror in his mind before he felt Hanzo grabbed and pull him back away from the ledge and away from the rooftop.


	16. Chapter 16

**Meanwhile, in Class-D on the second floor………**

“So, I assume all of you know about the separation of powers? There are three branches in our government. The National Diet is legislative, the Cabinet is executive, and the Supreme Court is judiciary. This division of power provide checks and balances, which ensures no one branch becomes unstoppable.” said Ushimaru-sensei to the students.

As Akira was listening quietly and attentively to the lecture about politicians and government, a black and white head of a cat suddenly popped out from inside Akira’s desk, caused him to jumped and raised his arms a little and had a freak out look on his face when he saw Morgana suddenly popped out.

“Have you made up your mind, Joker?” whispered Morgana quietly to Akira (who’s calm down and lowered his arms and glared down at Morgana for startling him before he quickly turned his attention back to Ushimaru-sensei’s lecture). “No matter how much thinking you or the others do, there’s only one option. You three would be better off just listening to me.” Morgana added quietly to him.

“How did you get in there, Morgana?” whispered Akira in annoyance at Morgana.

“Hm? Did I just hear a cat just now?” said Ushimaru-sensei as he and the students started looking around the classroom for Morgana while Akira tensed a little in his seat and Morgana quickly hide himself back into Akira’s desk.

“M-Meow!” said Morgana.

“Seriously, Morgana?” whispered Akira sarcastically at Morgana.

“Could that rumoured cat be somewhere nearby………? Settle down! We’re in the middle of an important lecture!” snapped Ushimaru-sensei quite loudly and fiercely to wherever Morgana’s meowing was coming from before he turned to write something on the blackboard.

After Ushimaru-sensei turned to the blackboard, Akira felt him phone vibrating and he discreetly pull it out to see and read the messages under his desk and near Morgana.

RS: _It’s no use……… I can’t think of any other way………_

AK: _What are you doing messaging us during class time? Concentrate on class. You’ll be in more big trouble if the teacher in your class caught you messaging us._

RS: _I can’t deal with that shit right now, you guys! I mean, what’re we gonna do about Kamoshida? Do we just gotta go along with what that cat say? Urgh, that damn furball………_

“If he only knew I’m reading this too………” whispered Morgana slightly sad and hurtfully to Akira.

“There, there, Morgana………” said Akira in a comforting tone of voice to Morgana as he turned off and quickly put his phone back into his pocket before he heard the sound of a chair skidding quite loudly to his far right and he glance and saw that a male student had stood up from his seat and is staring out the hallway window now.

“Hey……… What’s that………!?” asked the male student in surprise.

“Enough! This is a classroom!” scolded Ushimaru-sensei as he glared at the male student who stood up from his seat.

“Wait………! She’s going to jump………!” said the female student sitting behind the male student (which caused the other students to begin chatting fervently).

“Suzui………?” said Mishima as he stood up with a shock look on his face.

“Shiho………?” said Ann fearfully as she stood up as well before she quickly run out of the classroom toward the hallway windows and look up at the school’s roof.

Akira watched as Ann stood up and run out of the classroom before he stood up and run out of the classroom and stand behind Ann and look out the hallway windows up at the roof with her (and the other students from their class and other classrooms) and both Akira and Ann saw Shiho standing at the edge of the roof with a despair look on her face.

“Shiho……… Don’t do it, please………” whisper Ann in a pleading tone of voice as she closed her eyes and clasped her hands together in a prayer manner.

“ _What is she thinking!? And why the hell isn’t anyone going up there to stop her?_ ” thought Akira as he watched with a grim look on his face.

“Hey, isn’t that the other transfer student standing behind her!?”

“What is he doing up there with her too?”

“Maybe he’s trying to prevent her from jumping?”

“ _What? Did they just say that Arisato-kun is up there with her?_ ” thought Akira as he try to look clearly and saw that Minato is indeed up there with Suzui, trying to talk and prevent her from jumping.

“Shiho……… Please help her………” whisper Ann worriedly for Suzui then hopefully for Minato.

Akira watched as Suzui scream at Minato to stay away but he shook his head and talk to her some more before she started crying and screaming some more while hugging her shaking form. Akira then saw Minato’s face turned pale with horror before he softly wrapped his arms around Suzui before she started thrashing around, causing Minato to try to calm her down to no avail before she break free from him, started to fall and he quickly crouch down, leaned over and grabbed hold of her hand before she yell at him, start struggling then raised her other hand to scratch Minato’s hand holding her hand hard and make him accidentally let go of her and she fall and landed with a loud crack on the courtyard ground before Minato got taken away by another person on the roof with him.

“ _Oh my god! How could she do that to Arisato-kun when he’s trying to help her!? Also, what happened to her that make her wanna jump in the first place!?_ ” thought Akira in horror in his mind at what he just saw happening to Shiho and Minato trying to help her to no avail outside while the students and Ushimaru-sensei yelling around him and Ann.

“No……… Why………? Shiho………!” said Ann as she widened her eyes and covered her mouth with her hands in horror before she turned, pushed and run past Akira and the other students toward the courtyard.

“Takamaki-san, wait!” Akira yell out to Ann before he and Ryuji (who’s just arrived after he run out of his classroom) run after her and Ann.

Once Akira, Ryuji and Ann arrived and pushed their way past the students (who’s holding up their phones to take pictures and recording the grim scene before them) into the courtyard, they saw that an ambulance had already arrived and 2 paramedics were carefully lifting and putting Shiho down on a stretcher.

“Class is still in session!” a teacher yell out to the students to no avail.

“Shiho………!” said Ann in sorrow and pain to herself as she glance at Shiho.

“What the hell’s wrong with these people………!?” said Ryuji as he glance around at the students with their phones out for taking pictures and video recordings with an angry look on his face.

“That’s just how they are, Ryuji-kun. They’re like onlookers at a car crash. As long as it doesn’t happened to them and they don’t care at all.” said Akira in grim anger to Ryuji.

“We need someone to go with her……… Are there any teachers around?” asked one of the paramedics concernly to the crowd of students and teachers.

“I-I’m not in charge of her class though………” said one of the teachers as he look away.

“We should leave this to Principal Kobayakawa………” said another teacher hesitantly.

“I’ll go!” insisted Ann when she saw with a frustrated look on her face that none of the teachers volunteer to go with Shiho.

“Please hurry!” the paramedic urged Ann before he moved aside for her to approach and kneel down next to Shiho.

“Shiho……… Why………?” whispered Ann sorrowfully at Shiho.

“A-Ann………?” said Shiho as she weakly opened her eyes and glance at Ann. “I’m sorry. I-I can’t take this……… anymore……… Also, can you tell……… Arisato-kun that……… I’m very sorry for………. rejecting his help……… and hurt him, please?” added Shiho sadly and guiltily to Ann.

“Of course I will tell him, Shiho. But still, why would you………?” said Ann as she lowered her head closer to Shiho, listen to what she tell her before she suddenly lifted her head in shock after she heard what Shiho just told her. “………Huh? ………Kamoshida!?”

“Ngh………” groaned Shiho as she closed her eyes and fell unconscious.

“No……… Shiho!?” said Ann in despair to Shiho’s unconscious form before she stood up, let the paramedics lifted and put the stretcher holding Shiho into the ambulance before Ann quickly got into the ambulance with her while the paramedics went to the front of the ambulance and drove out of the school.

“Volleyball team………” said Ryuji to himself and to Akira before they both noticed Mishima started freaking out and he turned and run away past the students out of the courtyard. “That guy……… Hey, wasn’t Mishima acting weird?” asked Ryuji.

“Yeah, he does. He must know something about what happened to Shiho and why she suddenly want to killed herself and rejected Arisato-kun’s help.” replied Akira. “Let’s go after and corner him to make him talk then, Sakamoto-kun.” said Akira firmly to Ryuji.

“Yeah. Come on.” said Ryuji as he nodded to Akira before they turned and run to pursuit Mishima. After a few minutes of searching the school for him, they caught and corner him inside an empty lockers room (while Morgana lie down at the top of the lockers and look down at them in silence).

“Ow! That hurts!” said Mishima as he winced and rubbed his sore hands.

“Why’d you run off like that? Huh!?” said Ryuji as he scowled at Mishima while Akira glance at him in silence.

“I didn’t run………” muttered Mishima as he lowered his head to look down on the floor.

“She rejected Arisato’s help and jumped and tried to kill herself!” yell Ryuji as he glared at Mishima and banged his fist against the lockers.

“………L-Leave me alone………” whimpered Mishima as he cowered away from Ryuji.

“That’s enough, Sakamoto-kun! You are scaring him so calm down!” snapped Akira at Ryuji.

“But………!” Ryuji began protesting as he glance at Akira.

“Stop protesting and calm down, alright? Let me talk to him instead.” said Akira firmly to Ryuji and he fell silent before he glance at Mishima. “Listen to me, Mishima-kun. If you know something about what happened and why Suzui rejected Arisato-kun's help and wanted to kill herself, please tell us.” asked Akira softly to Mishima.

“He’s right! We ain’t trying to get you busted. We won’t say you talk either!” said Ryuji softly yet firmly to Mishima.

“Suzui……… She was called out by Kamoshida-sensei!” confessed Mishima despairingly to them as he grabbed his head with his two hands.

“Wait, what!?” said Ryuji as he and Akira gaped and widened their eyes in surprise at Mishima.

“I was called by him a number of times too……… to the teacher’s room.” Mishima resumed saying defeatedly to them. “It wasn’t just me or Suzui either. He’d nominate someone when he was in a bad mood……… and hit them.”

“So the physical punishment thing was for real………” said Ryuji as he clench his fists angrily.

“But yesterday, he called Suzui out of the blue. She didn’t make any mistakes or anything……… Kamoshida-sensei seemed really irritated that day, so it must have been……… worse than usual.” said Mishima despairingly to them before he trailed off into silence.

“Worse than usual? Oh my god, don’t tell me that he………” thought Akira in horror than anger at Kamoshida in his mind.

“He didn’t………! That son of a bitch………!” said Ryuji as he realised what Mishima meant before he turned around, let out an angry yell then run away from them out of the locker room.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, in the infirmary room………**

Minato winced in pain a little when Hanzo pressed and rubbed the cloth soaked with antiseptic on the scratch wounds on his right wrist. “That really stings, Hanzo-kun.” complain Minato.

“Then why don’t you keep quiet and stay still so that it won’t sting, Minato-kun?” said Hanzo sternly to Minato as he kept on pressing and rubbing on Minato’s wrist until he’s done then he put the cloth away, take some white bandage cloth and wrapped and tied it around his wrist. “There, all done now.” added Hanzo reassuringly to Minato.

“Thanks, Hanzo-kun……… By the way, why didn’t you help us both on the roof just now? If you had help us then Suzui-san wouldn’t have………” said Minato in a disappointed tone of voice at Hanzo.

“………You’re right, I could have, should have help but instead I……… just froze, watch and do nothing. And I’m sorry for that, Minato-kun.” said Hanzo sadly and guiltily to Minato.

“……… Come on, Hanzo-kun. We need to report and explain what happened to the teachers right now!” said Minato firmly to Hanzo.

“……… Yeah, Minato-kun. Luckily I know of one teacher who actually cares and will do something to help out.” said Hanzo as he nodded to Minato.

“ _That’s good, at least, isn’t it, Minato?_ ” said Pharos in slight relief to Minato.

“ _Yeah, at least, Pharos._ ” said Minato in agreement with Pharos. “And who is this teacher that cares and will help us?” asked Minato.

“Our homeroom teacher, Kanakubo-sensei. Let’s go, Minato-kun.” replied Hanzo before both he and Minato quickly left the infirmary and head toward the faculty office to tell Kanakubo-sensei about it.


	17. Chapter 17

Akira, Mishima and Morgana watched Ryuji run out of the locker room with surprise looks on their faces before they glance worriedly at each other then they run out of the room after him (while Morgana jumped down from the locker and landed safely on Akira’s shoulder). Akira (with Morgana hanging on his shoulder) and Mishima run after Ryuji up to the second floor, saw him run down the hallway, angrily pushed open the PE faculty office door and run into the room and they quickly run into the opened room as well.

“………Huh?” said Kamoshida as he glance in confusion at them at his desk.

“You bastard! The hell did you do to that girl!?” yell Ryuji angrily at Kamoshida.

“What are you talking about?” asked Kamoshida as he briefly raised and waved his right arm and glance away from them.

“Don’t you play dumb with me!” snapped Ryuji as he angrily kicked a nearby chair away from him.

“That is enough!” yell Kamoshida as he glared at Ryuji.

“What you did……… wasn’t coaching………!” said Mishima.

“What did you say?” said Kamoshida ominously to Mishima as Akira, Morgana and Ryuji turned to glance at him.

“You……… You ordered me to call Suzui here……… I can only imagine what you did to her………!” said Mishima nervously to Kamoshida as he grabbed his head with his hands in despair.

“You’re going on and on about things you have no proof of……… Basically, you’re simply making these claims because you can’t be a regular on the team, right?” sneered Kamoshida as he stood up from his chair and crossed his arms.

“That’s not what this is about………!” said Mishima as he glared defiantly at Kamoshida.

“Even if it is exactly as you imagine it to be, hypothetically speaking……… what can you do?” said Kamoshida tauntingly to them. “We just received a call from the hospital. Suzui’s in a coma, and her chances of recovery are slim……… How would someone like that make a statement?” added Kamoshida smugly to them (which shocked them).

“You……… How could you be so callous about the life of a student? The life of Suzui-san, Takamaki-san’s friend?” snapped Akira as he glared at Kamoshida.

“There’s no chance of her getting better, I hear……… The poor girl.” said Kamoshida in a mock-lament tone of voice to them as he raised and placed his hand dramatically on his forehead.

“No……… That can’t be………” said Mishima as he shook his head in despair.

“You goddamn………!” said Ryuji as his body started to shake in anger.

“This again? Does this mean we need to have yet another case of “self-defense”?” said Kamoshida as he scowled at Ryuji.

“You shut your mouth, you son of a bitch!” growled Ryuji as he glared hatefully at Kamoshida before he raised his fist in preparation to punch Kamoshida. But before he could do so, Akira rushed forward and grabbed hold of his arm with his hands to stop him. “Why’re you stoppin’ me, Kurusu………!?” demanded Ryuji in surprise at Akira.

“Calm down, Sakamoto-kun. Don’t let yourself be provoke this easily by him.” replied Akira calmly to Ryuji.

“But still!” said Ryuji as he yanked his arm out of his hands and glared back at Kamoshida.

“Oh? You’re stopping him? What a surprise, mister criminal record boy.” said Kamoshida as he glance at Akira with a feigned surprise look on his face before he crossed his arms and smiled smugly at them. “There’s no need for any of you to hold back. Why not attack me?……… Oh, you can’t. Hahaha! But of course you can’t!” said Kamoshida smugly to them before he turned and sat down in his chair. “Everyone present right now……… will be expelled. I’m reporting you scums at the next board meeting.” added Kamoshida coldly to them (which shock them again).

“Wha-” said Ryuji.

“You can’t make a decision like that………!” protested Mishima firmly to Kamoshida.

“Who would seriously consider what scums like you say?” scoffed Kamoshida as he glance coldly at Mishima. “You threatened me too, Mishima, so you’re just as responsible.”

“Huh………?” said Mishima, confused.

“To think you didn’t know why I kept someone as talentless as you on the team. You act like you’re a victim, but you leaked his criminal record, didn’t you? It’s all over the internet, correct? What a terrible thing you did to him.” said Kamoshida as he glance in mock-pity at Akira.

“Mishima………?” said Ryuji as he, Akira and Morgana turned to glance at Mishima with disbelief looks on their faces.

“Why would you do that, Mishima-kun?” said Akira in disappointment at Mishima.

“He told me to do it. I had no choice……… I’m sorry.” said Mishima as he got on his hands and knees in forgiveness to Akira (who sighed sadly at Mishima while Kamoshida laughed wickedly at them).

“Now, are we finished here? You scums are all expelled! You’re done for; your futures are mine to take, now get out of my sight.” said Kamoshida even more smugly to them.

“I can’t believe this asshole’s getting’ away with this………!” yell Ryuji angrily.

“Don’t worry, Sakamoto-kun. He’ll eat his words and pay very dearly for his heinous actions.” said Akira calmly to Ryuji.

“Huh………? Oh right, we have that!” said Ryuji as he realised what Akira meant.

“Huh? Have you all lost your minds? I don’t understand what garbages like you all are thinking, but go ahead and try. All you can do is wait for your disposal though………” said Kamoshida coldly to them.

“That’s what you think and not on my watch, Kamoshida-sensei!” snapped a male voice suddenly and coldly from behind Akira, Morgana, Ryuji and Mishima (who stood up from the floor) and they all turned and saw with surprise looks on their faces that it’s Kanakubo-sensei with both Minato and Hanzo standing behind him with cold looks on their faces.

“You! What the hell are you doing here, Kanakubo-sensei?” snapped Kamoshida in anger at Kanakubo-sensei before he glance at both Minato and Hanzo and a smirk appear on his face. “Oh, I get it. Those two scums standing behind you must have told you something, huh? But it doesn’t matter because………”

“Silence! I didn’t come here with these two boys just to hear more of your bullshit excuses coming out of your mouth, Kamoshida-sensei.” said Kanakubo-sensei, cutting off Kamoshida’s words. “Yes, they did came to see and tell me about the reason why Suzui-san decided to commit suicide and what she told them and I believe them both, unlike the other incompetent teachers, the principal and a bastard like you who don’t care about the life of a student but their own well-beings. And if you think of reporting and expelling these boys for doing the right thing in the next board meeting, I won’t let you do so!” added Kanakubo-sensei even more coldly to Kamoshida-sensei.

“Oh really? You won’t let me do so, Kanakubo? And how are you going to stop me from reporting these scums, huh? You’re just as incompetent and useless as the others.” sneered Kamoshida-sensei mockingly to Kanakubo-sensei.

“How, you ask? Because I’ve this with me.” sneered Kanakubo-sensei back to Kamoshida-sensei as he take out his phone and press a button to play back the recorded voice of Kamoshida talking callously of Suzui’s life and threatening to expelled Akira, Ryuji and Morgana in the PE room, which caused a shock and slight fear look to appear on Kamoshida-sensei’s face before he rushed forward to attempt to snatch the phone away from Kanakubo-sensei but he move his phone away from Kamoshida-sensei’s reach, raised his other hand to shoved Kamoshida-sensei away from him.

“You better give me that phone now, or I’ll make sure to get you fired from this school. Like how I get that coach fired too because I _own_ this school.” said Kamoshida-sensei threateningly to Kanakubo-sensei.

“Yeah right. As if a former olympic medalist like you can get me fired from this school like the poor coach. You can’t because I’m part of the Tokugawa family and clan. And what’s that about you owning this school, Kamoshida-sensei? How ridiculously laughable.” said Kanakubo-sensei coldly and boredly to Kamoshida-sensei (who fell silent and turned pale now when he heard what Kanakubo-sensei just told him) before he put his phone back into his pants pocket and glance around at Akira and the other boys. “Come on, boys. We’re leaving now.” said Kanakubo-sensei calmly to Akira and the other boys and they nodded to him before they all turned and left the room.

XXXX

**In the courtyard………**

“The way how Kanakubo-sensei just tear down that bastard in that PE room is great, you guys! So effin’ glad to see and know that at least there’s one decent teacher in this school that wants to help instead of standing by and do nothing.” said Ryuji with an awed look on his face about Kanakubo-sensei before it got replaced with an angry look as he banged his fist against the vending machine. “But even so, I’m still pissed at that bastard and I wanna go to that world and beat the shit outta him!” added Ryuji angrily to Akira, Minato and Morgana.

“……… We’re not beating him up. We’re simply stealing his distorted desire.” said Morgana coolly to Ryuji.

“Yes, we know, Morgana. We won’t beat him up, we’ll simply tear him apart.” said Akira calmly to Morgana (which make both him and Ryuji glance at him in surprise and fear while Minato had a blank look on his face). “What? You guys don’t like it?”

“Not say we don’t like it, Akira. Just that………” said Morgana.

“After what he just did to you, Mishima-kun, Suzui-san, Takamaki-san and others, I’d would say it’s a fitting eye for an eye for a bastard like him.” replied Akira coldly to them, cutting off Morgana’s words.

“He’s right, you guys. I agreed with him, that bastard deserves it.” said Minato.

“ _I agreed with him too, Minato._ ” said Pharos in agreement with Minato.

“Very well then, can I assume that all 3 of you have made up your minds about this-about how he might suffer a mental shutdown?” said Morgana.

“………I have.” said Ryuji as he turned to glance at Morgana. “Someone almost died and Arisato got hurt because of him. I don’t give a rat’s ass what happens to him anymore!”

“And what about you two?” asked Morgana to both Akira and Minato.

“I’m definitely in.” replied Akira.

“So do I, Morgana.” said Minato.

“………Then it’s settled.” said Morgana.

“By the way, is getting rid of a Palace hard………? You’ve tried it before, right?” asked Ryuji.

“………When did I ever say that?” replied Morgana innocently to Ryuji.

“You’ve never done it before?” asked Akira.

“Nope.” replied Morgana truthfully to Akira.

“ _Seriously?_ ” thought Minato as he shake his head.

“WHAT!? Were you just pretendin’ to know!?” yell Ryuji in disbelief to Morgana (which make him, Akira and Minato quickly shushed and glared at him slightly for raising his voice).

"Is it true that you guys are getting expelled and Kanakubo-sensei’s gonna get fired?” asked Ann suddenly from behind them (which make them gasped in surprise before they turned to glance at her). “Everyone’s talking about it………”

“That asshole’s at it again, spreading false rumors………!” said Ryuji as he briefly look away in irritation then look back at Ann. “So you came all this way to tell us that?” added Ryuji.

“If you all are going to deal with Kamoshida……… let me in on it too.” said Ann firmly to them (which surprises them again). “I can’t just sit back and do nothing after what happened to Shiho!”

“Takamaki-san………” said Akira sadly to Ann.

“Listen, what happened to Suzui-san isn’t your fault, Takamaki-san. You didn’t know that he would do such a cruel thing to her and it’s best that you go home now.” said Minato calmly to Ann.

“Arisato’s right, Ann. This has nothing to do with you……… Don’t butt your head into this………” said Ryuji gruffly to her.

“But it does! Shiho’s my-” argued Ann.

“We’re sorry, Ann. But it’s better if you stay out of this.” said Akira firmly to Ann, cutting off her words.

“No, I will not!” argued Ann even more to them.

“We said don’t get in our way!” snapped Ryuji harshly to Ann (which make her flinch before she turned and run away).

“……… That was harsh.” said Morgana.

“Yeah, you shouldn’t spoke so harshly to her like that, Ryuji-kun.” said Minato in a disappointed tone of voice to Ryuji.

“We can’t take her somewhere like that with us………” said Ryuji guiltily to Minato.

“I hope that she doesn’t torment herself over this. When it comes down to it, women don’t hesitate.” said Morgana sadly to them.

“Yeah, we know, Morgana.” said Akira as he nodded to Morgana.

“We just gotta hurry up and deal with Kamoshida. Let’s go already!” said Ryuji determinedly to Akira, Morgana and Minato before they left the school and head back into the alley in front of the school.

“The moment we cross over, we’ll treat each other like phantom thieves, so I hope you 3 are ready.” Morgana told them.

“Huh? Phantom Thieves?” asked Ryuji as he glance in confusion at Morgana.

“Those who covertly sneak in and stylishly steal Treasure-that is what we become!” replied Morgana happily to Ryuji.

“I see, not bad at all.” said Akira as he smirk at Morgana.

“I agreed.” said Minato with a nod of his head (same goes for Pharos inside him).

“That sounds kinda cool!” said Ryuji exuberantly to Morgana. “So we just gotta say the school, Kamoshida’s name, and……… castle? Then we end up in bizarro world.” added Ryuji before he pull out his phone. “………How the hell all this work? Someone make it?” asked Ryuji.

“We don’t know. But does it really matter, Ryuji-kun?” replied Akira.

“That’s kinda creepy, but eh, it seems useful enough. We’ll show that effin’ Kamoshida!” said Ryuji as he rolled and stretch his arms a little.

“Let’s go!” said Morgana confidently as he, Ryuji and Minato watched Akira pull out his phone and pressed the Metaverse Navigator. But unbeknownst to them, Ann is watching them from her hiding spot behind the corner.

“They really are going to do something……… They’re doing something on their phones? A name……… School………? Huh………!?” said Ann before she widened her eyes and gasped in disbelief when she saw her surroundings started to turned purple, warped and change into a different place.


	18. Chapter 18

**In front of Kamoshida’s Palace………**

After Akira, Ryuji, Morgana and Minato entered the world of Kamoshida with the use of the Metaverse Navigator on their phones (and their uniforms promptly change to their alternate outfits), they then look around the area for any signs of enemies, saw none and they turned to glance at each other.

“All right! Time to bust on through!” said Ryuji excitedly to both Akira and Morgana, who nodded in unison to him while Minato glance in silence at him.

“What is this!?” yell Ann in shock suddenly from nearby them (which make them flinch and gasped in surprise) before they turned to glance at Ann just as she approach and stopped in front of them.

“T-Takamaki!?” sputtered Ryuji.

“What the? How did she get in here?” said Akira in a disbelief tone of voice.

“ _Oh man. Could it be that she’s standing nearby us without us noticing her before we uses the app to went into this other realm and she got dragged in somehow?_ ” thought Minato with a shake of his head.

“ _You thought correctly, Minato._ ” said Pharos.

“Those voices……… Sakamoto!? Kurusu!? And……… are you Arisato-kun!?” said Ann as she glance even more in shock at them and their outfits.

“Wh-Wh-Why are you here!?” demanded Ryuji.

“How should I know!?” Ann snapped back at him before she look around at their surroundings. “What’s going on? Hey, where are we………!? Isn’t this the school!?” asked Ann in disbelief to them (while Morgana stared at her with a dreamy look on his face which both Akira and Minato noticed with unimpressed looks on their faces).

“Hey, earth to Morgana. Snap out of it now.” said Akira as he raised his hand then snap him fingers in front of Morgana to snap him out of it and he did.

“O-Oh, sorry about that, Akira.” said Morgana apologetically to Akira before he glance at him, Ryuji and Minato. “I see. Perhaps she was dragged in because of the app thing. If multiple people can enter with the person who uses it, it stands to reason that it’ll pull anyone nearby into it.” explained Morgana.

“For real………?” said Ryuji.

“Looks like it.” said Akira.

“ _He’s saying the same words that crossed my mind a few seconds ago._ ” thought Minato.

“Wait, so THIS is related to Kamoshida!?” asked Ann as she glance at them again after she’s done in looking around the area.

“That is none of your concern, Takamaki-san. You need to leave now. This place is dangerous.” Akira warned Ann softly.

“No, I refused!” snapped Ann firmly to Akira.

“Be quiet. The Shadows are going to find us if you make a scene.” said Morgana sternly to Ann.

“No way! It talked!? Oh my god, it’s a monster cat………!” babbled Ann as she flinch and had a freak-out look on her face as she glance at Morgana.

“Monster………?” said Morgana as he gaped and widened his eyes in shock at Ann for calling him a monster cat.

“Pfft.” snorted Minato with an amused look on his face when he heard what Ann just call Morgana.

“You three better explain to me what’s going on! I won’t leave until you three do!” demanded Ann as she glared at them (which make them sighed in unison before they glance at each other, at a brief loss on what to do with Ann).

“What are we going to do about her now, Kurusu, Morgana and Arisato? Should we tell her?” asked Ryuji.

“No, we shouldn’t, Sakamoto-kun. There’s no need for her to know even though she’s being dragged into this world because of us. One or two of us need to force her out somehow, whether she like it or not.” replied Akira firmly to Ryuji.

“Fine, Kurusu. I guess Arisato and I’ll force her out. But……… how’re we supposed to do that? And ideas, Morgana?” asked Ryuji confusingly to Morgana.

“Just take her back the way we came in. That’s how it worked last time, right?” replied Morgana as he shrugged his shoulders to Ryuji.

“O-Oh yeah.” said Ryuji in surprise to Morgana before he glance at Minato. “Can you lend me a hand, Arisato?” asked Ryuji.

“Hold on, you two. I feel a little bad about forcing Takamaki-san out. Also, now that she’s somehow been dragged into this world because of us, don’t you two think that she at least deserves to know about it? She has just as much reason to hate Kamoshida as we do.” Minato pointed out to them.

“You may be right and she do deserves to know about it but even so, we still can’t, Arisato-kun.” said Akira as he shake his head at Minato. “Now please, you two better hurry up and get her out of here. Or else we won’t be able to deal with Kamoshida.” added Akira firmly to them both and they nodded to him before they glance at Ann.

“What’re you-” Ann began saying to them.

“We’re sorry, Takamaki-san.” said Minato apologetically to Ann.

“We’ll explain after everything’s over, Takamaki!” said Ryuji, cutting off Ann’s words before he and Minato approach and grabbed hold of her arms and they dragged her (which make her instantly protesting and struggling to free her arms from their grip to no avail) toward the other end of the drawbridge, pushed her out of the Metaverse world before they turned around and walked back to Akira and Morgana.

“We better be careful from now on when we use that app………” said Ryuji.

“You should have check the tools you used! Why do I-the one who was just watching- know more about it than you two!?” snapped Morgana as he jumped and glared at Akira, Ryuji and Minato.

“Sorry about that, Morgana. We’ll be careful next time.” said Minato apologetically to Morgana.

“Sh-Shuddup!” said Ryuji as he look away in embarrassment.

“All right, all of you. Calm down now.” said Akira calmly as he raised his hands to placated them. “Now that Takamaki-san’s gone, we can get back to focusing on the Palace.”

“Yeah, we know. Geez, Takamaki found out right when we were startin’ off……… We gotta deal with this fast!” said Ryuji.

“That girl’s name is Ann Takamaki, right?” asked Morgana as he crossed his arms.

“Yeah, that’s right.” replied Akira.

“Lady Ann……… a very pretty girl………” muttered Morgana dreamily under his breath before he shake his head to snap out of it again and they turned to glance and staked out near the drawbridge of the castle.

“The Shadows have noticed us. You three better brace yourselves, got it?” warned Morgana firmly to them and they nodded to him before he glance at Akira. “We’re counting on you, Joker!” added Morgana to Akira as he jumped a little.

“Joker? That a nickname?” asked Ryuji as he, Minato and Akira frowned in confusion at Morgana.

“Uh, I don’t think what he called Kurusu-kun is a nickname, Sakamoto-kun.” said Minato.

“Don’t refer to it in such a lame way. It’s a code name. What kind of stupid phantom thief would use their real name!? I’m not down for that!” complain Morgana as he shake his head in slight anger at Ryuji. “And there’s no telling what kind of effect yelling our real names will have on the Palace……… It’s just a precaution.” added Morgana.

“I see. That does sound safe and you’ve made your point, Morgana.” said Akira as he nodded in understanding and agreement to Morgana.

“Why, thank you, A……… I mean, Joker.” Morgana corrected himself as he smiled at him.

“So, why’s he Joker?” asked Ryuji.

“Because he’s our trump card when it comes to fighting strength.” replied Morgana.

“Joker, huh? Not bad at all.” said Akira with a confident smirk on his face.

“It’s settled then!” said Morgana before he glance at Ryuji and Minato. “Next up is you then Minato, Ryuji. You’ll be……… Let’s see……… You’ll be……… “Thug”.” suggested Morgana to Ryuji as he crossed his arms.

“Are you pickin’ a fight with me!? I’ll choose it myself!” snapped Ryuji as he scowled at Morgana. “I want my codename to follow the mask that I’m wearing on my face. I kinda like it so let’s name me after my mask.” suggested Ryuji as he glance at Joker and Minato.

“………Very well, then. You’ll be “Skull”.” sighed Morgana while both Joker and Minato nodded in silence.

“Ooh! That sounds awesome! I’m Skull!” said Skull excitedly to himself and to them before they glance at Minato.

“Now it’s your turn. Your codename will be……… uh……… “White”.” suggested Morgana.

“Nope, a little too simple. Next please.” said Minato as he shake his head at Morgana’s suggestion.

“How about “Ghoul” since he told us that he came back from the dead to help us?” said Skull, which make Minato glared at him and he quickly look away.

“How about “Messiah” instead, Arisato-kun?” suggested Joker.

“Nope, not that one either. I’ll think of one myself.” sighed Minato before he started thinking of a codename that suits him.

“ _Minato, I just thought of one that might suits you since you don't like the codenames that they suggested to you._ ” said Pharos.

“ _Really? Let’s hear it then, Pharos._ ” said Minato.

“ _Alright then. How does “Seraph” sound? Do you like it?_ ” asked Pharos.

“ _Seraph”, huh? It’s better than the codenames that they suggested to me, I like it, Pharos._ ” said Minato thankfully to Pharos.

“ _You’re welcome, Minato. I mean, Seraph._ ” said Pharos.

“Well, Arisato-kun? Have you thought of one for yourself?” asked Joker slightly impatiently to Minato.

“Yes, I have, Joker. My codename shall be “Seraph”.” replied Seraph.

“Seraph, huh? Sounds good.” Said Joker as he, Skull and Morgana nodded to him.

“So now that he got his codename. What do we do about this one’s codename?” asked Skull as he, Joker and Seraph glance at Morgana.

“I don’t know. What do you think?” Joker asked back to Skull.

“Hm……… How about “Mona”?” suggested Skull.

“Well, if Joker thinks it’s easier to call me that, then I’ll go with it.” said Morgana (now Mona) firmly to Skull as he glance at Joker. “All right. From here on out, we’re Joker, Skull, Seraph and Mona. We need to be absolutely thorough about using those codenames from now on!” added Mona firmly to them and they nodded in agreement to him before they turned and head up the drawbridge toward the opened ventilation shaft, got on and climbed through and into the castle and landed back into the room filled with bookshelves and tables.

As Joker, Skull, Seraph and Mona cautiously opened the door and quietly stepped out into a hallway, they suddenly heard several voices chanting out loud in unison to their right and they turned, quietly walked forward and hide behind doors and peek out at the large foyer room.

“Praise be to King Kamoshida! Death to the intruders!” chanted the voices of a group of knights standing at the bottom of the stairs to Shadow Kamoshida (who’s standing on the steps of the staircase and staring down at them with not-Ann standing closely next to him).

“W-What the hell!?” sputtered Skull in surprise.

“Be quiet, Skull! Looks like Kamoshida is about to say something to them.” hissed Joker quietly at Skull.

“Those intruders the other day were quite entertaining. However, I can’t allow those trash to barged into and ransack my castle! Strengthen the securities! Kill them on sight! I’ll reward whoever bring me their heads back.” Shadow Kamoshida told and commander them.

“Praise be to King Kamoshida! Death to the intruders!” yell the group of knights in unison again to Shadow Kamoshida.

“Hey, Mona. Can’t we just charge forward, beat the crap out of those knights and him and call it a day?” said Skull quietly as he glance at Mona.

“Are you an idiot? That would be suicidal of you if you do so. And I’m sure you don’t want a repeat of last time.” snapped Mona quietly as he (and both Joker and Seraph) glared at Skull. “Besides, don’t you want him to confess his sins?”

“Mona’s right, Skull. We’ll make him pay for what he did to us, Suzui-san, Takamaki-san, Mishima-kun and the members of the volleyball team right after we find where his Treasure is and steal it.” said Joker coldly to Skull.

“They’re both right, Skull. So calm down.” said Seraph.

“Fiiiine. So, where is it?” said Skull as he rolled his eyes a little.

“It has to be somewhere within the depths of this castle. Let’s infiltrate further in while he’s out here!” Mona told them before they quietly stood up, turned and walked away from the opened doorway toward the other closed doorway opposite the one that they just came out from and as Joker opened it, they saw another knight standing in the room with his back to them and they quickly retreat and hide behind the hallway wall.

“Dammit, there’s a guard over here too……… Whaddya wanna do, Joker? Should we kick it’s ass?” said Skull with a scowl look on his face before he asked Joker on what to do.

“Let’s do it.” said Joker as his two daggers manifest in his hands.

“Hold on………” interjected Mona to them before they could fight the knight. “Hmmm……… this might be a good opportunity to teach you another new skill……… All right, Joker! Are you ready to take it down?” added Mona firmly to Joker.

“Yeah, I’m ready, Mona!” said Joker as he stood up, charge toward and jumped onto the knight, grabbed and ripped off his helmet before he quickly jumped off as the knight burst into red and black liquid and turned into a small flying fairy.

“Pixie, one of the minor persona that I used to have.” thought Minato as he saw the knight turned into Pixie.

After the knight change into a fairy, Mona then proceed to teach and explain to Joker, Skull and Seraph about another use for Hold Up skill other than defeating enemies which is able to communicate with the Shadows and told them to hand over money or items after they’re knocked down. After Mona’s done in explaining to them, Joker then pull out his handgun, aim and fire a bullet at the fairy and knocked her down before he, Skull, Seraph and Mona rushed forward, surround and pointed their weapons and guns at the fairy.

“Seriously!? You guys are the intruders that King Kamoshida was talking about………?” said the fairy as she glance at them in surprise. “It can’t get worse than this……… What’re you going to do to me!?”

“We won’t do anything to you if you gave us some items.” demanded Joker coldly to the fairy.

“Huh? So you’ll let me live if I just give you something?” said the fairy hopefully to Joker.

“Well, something along those lines……… Now let it be money or items. Just cough it up!” demanded Mona threateningly to the fairy.

“B-But, this happened so suddenly……… I actually don’t have anything on me……… I-I usually do though, you know!?” stammered the fairy fearfully to them.

“W-Wait, what? Oh……… This isn’t how I was planning this to go.” said Mona with a bewilder look on his face. “Uh……… Anyway, it can’t be help if that’s the case. Time for you to go to hell then.” added Mona to the fairy.

“W-Wait!” protested the fairy frantically to Mona.

“Sorry. But we’re in a hurry.” said Joker apologetically to the fairy as he raised his dagger at her.

“No, wait up! Can’t we work something out? Don’t kill me, please! Won’t you let me go?” pleaded the fairy.

“Sorry, you choose the wrong enemy today.” said Joker as he shake his head at the fairy.

“Wow……… you sure sound and act confident. But I’m the same way. In any other situation, we’d get along really well. Whoa, I feel different! Something’s happening!” said the fairy coolly then confusingly to Joker.

“What the………!? What’s going on!?” exclaimed Mona as he, Joker, Skull and Seraph widened their eyes in surprise at the fairy.

“……… Oh yeah, I remember now! I don’t belong just to King Kamoshida……… I’m an existence that drifts about in the sea of humanity’s soul……… My real name……… is “Pixie”!” proclaimed the fairy named Pixie as she flew up from the floor. “I’m Pixie! From now on, I’ll live on inside your heart!” added Pixie before a bright blue light glowed out and enveloped her entire body before she transform into a perfect white copy of Joker’s mask, flew toward Joker and let itself be absorbed into his mask.

“ _This feeling……… It feels like I’ve just gained a new power of Persona._ ” thought Joker in surprise then smugly to himself.

“ _Hm, not bad at all in accepting and gaining a new persona, Kurusu-kun._ ” thought Seraph as he glance and smiled slightly proudly at Joker.

“What was that just now………? What happened………!?” asked Mona in surprise to Joker.

“Wh-What the hell was that about? The enemy glowed, change then got sucked into Joker’s mask!” asked Skull as he turned to glance at Mona with a shock look on his face.

“I-I have no idea! I wasn’t expecting it either………” replied Mona in surprise to Skull and Seraph and none of them noticed another knight coming down the hallway and saw them in the room.

“Intruders!? Halt!” said the knight threateningly to them as he run into the room toward them and they quickly turned to glance at the knight.

“Crap, another one noticed us!” said Skull in surprise to Joker, Seraph and Mona before the knight

“Gee, you think?” said Joker sarcastically to Skull (which make him scowled at Joker) as the knight shake.

As Joker, Skull, Mona and Seraph got into their battle stances, Joker felt something like a new possibility stemming up from within him after their previous short battle with Pixie. Joker then summoned forth Pixie, uses Zio skill on one of the horned horses and knocked it down to the floor.

“I-Is that the Shadow from earlier?” asked Mona as he glance in surprise to Joker. “Don’t tell me……… Did you take in the Shadow’s appearance and powers as a Persona?”

“Yep. You got that right, Mona.” thought Seraph to himself.

“Looks like it, Mona.” replied Joker as he uses Zio skill again on the other horned horse, knock it down as well before he and the others surround, raised and pointed their weapons and guns at the 2 horned horses.

“Ow, ow, ow……… Whaddya think yer doin’!?” groaned one of the horned horses to Jester.

“Lend me your power.” commanded Joker.

“So that’s yer move? ……… Then I guess I’ll talk first. I’ll decide if I’m gonna help you after.” said the horned horse as it tilted it’s head at Jester. “So……… Yer a student, right? Is it OK fer you ta just be hangin’ around here like this? Hey. Why aren’t you at school?” asked the horned horse.

“I actually finished school.” replied Joker.

“ _Huh? Why is Joker talking to that persona?_ ” thought Seraph in confusion in his mind.

“ _He’s negotiating with it, Seraph. He’s asking the persona to join and fight with us or we’ll have to fight it if it doesn’t want to._ ” said Pharos.

“ _I see._ ” said Seraph.

“So does that mean yer a workin’ adult? Wearin’ a mask like that? What kinda freaky job do you do?” asked the horned horse.

“That’s not for you to know.” replied Joker slightly coldly to the horned horse.

“Ugh, that hurts. Hey, if you got any medicine, lend me some. They’re supposed ta work miracles, right………?” said the horned horse pleadingly to Joker.

“Sorry, I don’t have any and you’re starting to get on my nerves.” said Joker warningly to the horned horse.

“Heh, look at you, acting all commander and cold. Reminds me of when-Oh!” said the horned horse to Joker before it had a brief surprise look on it’s face and it stood up from the floor. “I remember who I am now. I am Bicorn and from now on, my power is yours to use.” added the shadow named Bicorn to Joker before it change into a mask and absorbed into Joker’s mask like the previous one.

“ _Yet another one came and went into my mask. First it’s Pixie, now it’s Bicorn?_ ” thought Joker to himself.

“Holy, another one……… Does that mean you can wield multiple Personas?” asked Mona as he glance up at Joker with surprise and awed look on his face.

“H-Hey, Mona! What was that about!? What did Joker do?” demanded Skull as he glance in confusion at Mona.

“He sealed the enemy’s appearance and power into his mask, and made them his new Personas……… I’ve never seen anyone do that before……… didn’t even know it was possible!” replied Mona still in amazement at what Joker just did twice to the Shadows.

“Isn’t that’s because he’s the unique Wild Card user and had an advantage in a way because he’s able to wield multiple Personas other than his main one, Arsene. Right, Mona?” Seraph said to Mona (who nodded to him) as he glance at Joker with a proud look on his face too.

“Does this sound good for you guys?” asked Joker.

“Of course it is! Only one heart exists per person, so normally one person can only have one Persona! But what you did……… is incredible! That ability of yours will give us a huge advantage in battle!” replied Mona as he smiled widely at Joker. “All right, try to do that even more if the opportunities arises! You two better help out too, Seraph, Skull!” added Mona to them both.

“Got it, Mona.” said Seraph.

“Hell yeah! We’ll hold every last one of ‘em up!” said Skull.

“Hehe, I like you even more now, Joker! I really do have someone special on my hands!” said Mona excitedly and a little dreamily at Joker.

“Yeah, sure, Mona. Thanks for the compliment.” said Joker as he gave a small smile to him before they turned to their right to opened another door, went down a hallway and past another sealed hallway (that had a long red carpet, empty knight armors standing on both sides of the hallway and leading toward a door), went into an armoury room filled with weapons, fought more shadows and Joker gained 2 new Personas at the same time (Pyro Jack and Mandrake), saw and opened a treasure chest lying on the table and pull out two Amethyst and Ruby jewels, opened another door, left the armoury and went down another hallway and they stopped in front of a door that looks different and wavered a little and Mona explain to Joker, Skull and Seraph that it’s a safe room before they went into the room.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, outside the castle………**

“This is that place from earlier………!” said Ann as she walked up to the castle and cautiously look around the place for her classmates and didn’t any of them anywhere before she pull out her phone and glance down at it with a confused look on her face. “………What’s up with this app? I just said the words Sakamoto said, and I ended up-” added Ann even more in confusion to herself.

"Princess!?” said the surprise voice of a knight suddenly to Ann.

“Huh!?” said Ann as she glance up in surprise at the 3 knights that run towards her before she let out a fearful scream when they take her into the castle with them.

XXXX

**Back in the safe room………**

“Aren’t there even more Shadows than before? Just gettin’ this far’s been a real pain in the ass!” said Skull to Joker, Mona and Seraph before he let out a tired groan and shake his head in exasperation a little.

“It’s all because you guys and that Kanakubo teacher provoked Kamoshida, you know.” Mona chided them before he glance solemnly at the closed door of the safe room. “Still……… he seems to be awfully on guard………”

“If that’s the case, then we just have to be more alert and careful as much as we can.” said Joker as he sat down on one of the chair near the other chairs and table in the middle of the safe room.

“Yeah, we know, Joker.” Said Seraph in agreement with Joker.

“Anyways, how’re we suppose to steal that Treasure thing?” asked Skull as he glance at Mona.

“Don’t be so hasty. First, we’ll need to secure an infiltration route.” replied Mona warningly to him.

“A what………?” said Skull as he crossed his arms in confusion to what Mona just told him.

“An infiltration route, Skull.” said Joker, repeating the final 3 words of what Mona just said to Skull.

“Yep, a path to the Treasure’s location. Since we’ve four members, I’m sure that we can accomplish this!” said Mona quite happily and confidently to Joker, Skull and Seraph.

“Hey, you told us that you don’t have your memories and all, but somehow you still know that kinda stuff?” asked Skull in a slightly perplexed tone of voice to Mona before he glance at both Joker and Seraph. “Do you two think that this thing got amnesia?” Skull asked them.

“It might be possible, Skull.” replied Seraph.

“I believe in Mona, Skull, Seraph. So far he’s been very helpful, teach us the basics of fighting and fought alongside us against those Shadows.” said Joker coolly to Skull.

“At least you’re a step above that moron, Joker.” said Mona as he smiled happily at Joker.

“Don’t call me a moron!” said Skull as he scowled at Mona. “You sure talk and act big around him, but what if it turns out you’re just some stray cat in the end?” added Skull suspiciously to Mona.

“That can’t be………” said Mona as he shook his head a little.

“Still, why was one of the princesses in such an odd place………?” said the voice of a knight suddenly from outside the safe room, which surprises Joker, Skull, Seraph and Mona before they decided to listen quietly near the door.

“Princess………?” whisper Skull in confusion to the others (who glance and shrugged their shoulders in confusion at him).

“I could have sworn we were pursuing the readings of an intruder………” said the same knight.

“It doesn’t matter now. We must take her back to King Kamoshida!” said the voice of another knight to the first knight before they heard the sound of footsteps walking away and they relaxed their guards.

“Who’s this princess they’re talkin’ about………?” asked Skull as he glance in confusion to Joker, Seraph and Mona.

“I hope they’re not talking about who I think it is, you guys.” replied Seraph concernly to them.

“I hope so too, Seraph. I mean, you and Skull did sent her away by force, there’s no way she could come back on her own. Unless……… Oh, please, I really hope that the app isn’t being downloaded on her phone like ours.” said Joker worriedly to himself.

“What if you’re wrong and it already downloaded itself into her phone, Joker?” said Seraph.

“That’s………” said Joker before he fell silent.

“I should probably look into this!” said Mona as he quietly opened the door and walked out of the room, leaving Joker, Skull and Seraph behind as they exchange exasperated looks with each other.

“Well, there he goes. I hope he’ll be careful.” said Seraph.

“Yeah.” said Joker as he nodded at Seraph.

“And yet another question goes unanswered……… Stuff like the castle and that navigation app are mysterious……… but Morgana’s got ‘em both beat.” said Skull sullenly to them.

“Skull! Remember, codenames!” Joker corrected him sternly.

“Crap! Sorry!” said Skull apologetically to him. “What was I again?……… Oh yeah, Skull!”

“Oh no, you guys! This is bad!” said Mona worriedly to them as he came back into the room.

“That was fast!” said Skull in surprise to Mona.

“What is it, Mona? What’s bad?” asked Joker as a bad feeling rose up from within him (same goes for Seraph).

“Your friend……… Lady Ann! She’s been taken by Shadows………!” yell Mona worriedly to them (which make them gasped and widened their eyes in shock and worry in unison).

“ _Oh, damn it! I hate it when I thought correctly sometimes. Seraph too._ ” thought Joker as he winced while pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

“Wait, what? But we sent her home earlier.” said Skull.

“If Lady Ann does indeed have the app, it could be possible.” said Mona.

“Oh, damn it! I knew it would happened somehow!” said Seraph.

“Yes! That’s exactly what I said!” replied Mona as he scowled at Seraph and jumped a little.

“Dammit! We let her out for her own safety, and she just came back in by herself………!” said Skull as he furiously scratch the top of his head in annoyance.

“Come on, you guys! Let’s find and rescue her now!” said Joker firmly to them before they quickly left the room and ran down the hallway.

As Joker, Skull, Mona and Seraph ran back the way they came from (and fought off some more Shadows and Joker, Mona and Seraph’s Personas level up and learn new Maeiha, Cleave and Hama skills), they stopped when they saw that the sealed hallway with the long red carpet on the floor and the empty knight armors standing on both sides of the wall leading toward a door is no longer sealed up. They then run down the unsealed hallway toward the door (and heard Ann yelling to the knights inside the room), opened it and went into the room and widened their eyes in shock then anger at what they saw inside.


	19. Chapter 19

**Meanwhile, inside another room in Kamoshida’s Palace………**

After the knights brought Ann into the castle with them, they immediately took her down several rooms and hallways and into a completely red-coloured room with dozens of pink flower petals, lit candles and pink-skinned faceless girls wearing nothing but tight-looking white short sleeve shirts and dark panties (which make Ann had a disgusted look on her face when she saw them) scattering and lying on the floor and they bound her arms and legs against the manacles on a wooden X-shaped cross with a large portrait of a shirtless Kamoshida hanging on the wall behind her.

“What’s all this about!? Seriously, I’m gonna call the cops!” snapped Ann to the 2 knights standing and watching in front of her as she try to freed her arms and legs from the manacles to no avail.

“So, this is the intruder.” said Shadow Kamoshida as he approach and stopped to glance at Ann.

“Kamoshida!?” said Ann in surprise to Shadow Kamoshida before she’s surprise even more when she saw the copy of herself wearing a bikini and a crown on her head followed and stopped beside him. “Huh? Who’s that………? More importantly, what is this place!? Why’s the school turned into something like this!?” demanded Ann to Shadow Kamoshida.

“I can’t believe you knights mistook my Ann for someone like her.” Shadow Kamoshida sneered a little at his knights before he began chuckling wickedly at her. “Are you afraid?” asked Shadow Kamoshida in a taunting tone of voice to her.

“What is that outfit………? Have you lost your mind?” said Ann skeptically to Shadow Kamoshida.

“I do as I please here. After all, this is my castle……… The world of my desires.” said Shadow Kamoshida as he smirked at her.

“What the-!? Wait……… Is this some red-light district!?” said Ann in disbelief as she struggle against the cross.

“What a lively slave.” said Shadow Kamoshida in a mock-happy tone of voice to Ann.

“This isn’t funny! Enough of the bullshit, Kamoshida!” snapped Ann angrily at Shadow Kamoshida (who let out a “tch” sound before he turned to glance at not-Ann).

“The inpertinent girl’s decided to tell me off. What do you think about that?” asked Shadow Kamoshida coolly to not-Ann.

“Talking back is like……… totally unforgivable………” replied not-Ann slowly and seductively to Shadow Kamoshida.

“In that case……… she should be executed.” sneered Shadow Kamoshida as he turned and lightly glared back at Ann as he tilted his head to the golden knight to silently ordered him to walked closer to Ann and he did. “Now then, how shall I play with you? Shall I tear you into little pieces?” taunted Shadow Kamoshida as he smiled wickedly to Ann.

“Are you kidding me………?” said Ann in fear and disbelief to Shadow Kamoshida.

XXXX

“This is effed up……… Is that what he thinks of the girls on the volleyball team………!?” said Skull as he, Joker, Mona and Seraph stared in anger and disgust at the faceless girls moaning, sitting and sprawled out seductively on the floor in front of them.

“What a disgusting man. How could he go this far and do this to not only Suzui-san but these other girls too!” said Joker in a horror, anger then disgust tone of voice at Kamoshida while Seraph clench his fists and had a cold look on his face.

“Hey, that’s………!” yell Mona to Joker, Skull and Seraph as he turned and saw Ann shackled up on a cross and surrounded by Shadow Kamoshida, not-Ann and the knights with a shock look on his face before they quickly run toward her.

“Takamaki!” yell Skull worriedly to Ann as he clench his fists.

“Takamaki-san!” yell Seraph worriedly as well.

“You thieves again? Just when I was about to start enjoying myself………” said Shadow Kamoshida as he turned to glance and scowled darkly at them for coming and interrupting his fun.

“What’s the deal with this guy………!?” yell Ann incredulously to them.

“You little………!” growled Skull as he glared at Shadow Kamoshida.

“Release Takamaki-san now!” said Joker firmly and angrily to Shadow Kamoshida.

“Hmph, as if I would listen to a criminal brat like you……… How many times are you gonna come back?” Shadow Kamoshida sneered at Joker, Skull, Mona and Seraph before he glance back at Ann. “I bet you’re just like those thieves. You came because you’re pissed at me, huh? But, ah……… I forget that chick’s name, but it’s your fault she jumped, you know.” said Shadow Kamoshida mockingly to Ann.

“Huh………?” said Ann in confusion to Shadow Kamoshida.

“You were so reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place.” said Shadow Kamoshida.

“You bastard!” yell Ann angrily at Shadow Kamoshida as she struggle even more against the cross before she gasped in fear when the golden knight move even closer.

“No! Get away from her!” yell Seraph as he and Skull was about to charge forward and intercept the knights but they both stopped when they saw Shadow Kamoshida raised his hand to the knights, silently ordering them to raised their swords near Ann’s chest.

“Take one more step and I’ll kill her on the spot.” said Shadow Kamoshida threateningly to them.

“Dammit………!” said Skull as he gritted his teeth in frustration.

“You bastard!” snapped Seraph as he glared hatefully at Shadow Kamoshida.

“Just stand back, watch and enjoy the dismantlement show.” said Shadow Kamoshida smugly to them.

“No! Don’t!” protested Ann.

“Maybe I’ll start with her clothes………” said Shadow Kamoshida as he glance pervertedly at Ann.

“You’re such a perv!” purred not-Ann happily to Shadow Kamoshida.

“ _We have to do something to save her somehow! But what should we do!?_ ” thought Joker anxiously in his mind.

“H-Hey, what are we gonna do!?” demanded Skull worriedly to Seraph.

“I don’t know, Skull. Because if we both do something to help her, that bastard will have his knights kill her immediately.” replied Seraph grimly to Skull.

“Is this……… my punishment for what happened to Shiho……….?” said Ann sorrowfully to herself and to Shiho as she lowered her head to look down at the floor.

“That’s more like it. You should’ve looked like this from the start.” said Shadow Kamoshida smugly to Ann.

“Shiho……… I’m so sorry………” whisper Ann as tears started to glisten in her eyes.

“What are you doing, Takamaki-san? Are you just going to listen? Don’t you dare give in!” Joker reprimanded Ann.

“He’s right, Takamaki-san! This disgusting bastard hurt and raped your friend and make her jump from the school’s roof! Don’t you let him get away with it!” said Seraph sternly to Ann as well.

“Huh………?” said Ann as she raised to glance in surprise and confusion at both Joker and Seraph before a stern and determined look appear and replaced the previous sorrow and defeated look on her face. “No……… I don’t want that……… You’re both right. Letting this piece of shit toy with me……… What was I thinking………!?” added Ann angrily to herself as she struggle in her shackles again.

“It’s like I always say. Slaves should just behave and-” said Shadow Kamoshida as he scowled at her, trying to revert her back to her sorrow and defeated self.

“………Shut up!” snapped Ann, cutting off Shadow Kamoshida’s words. “I’ve had enough of this……… You’ve pissed me off, you son of a bitch!” added Ann as she glared hatefully at Shadow Kamoshida.

“ _My……… It’s taken far too long._ ” said a slightly deep and refined woman’s voice slightly impatiently to Ann before her eyes abruptly turned yellow and she gasped out loud when she felt an indescribable pain suddenly wracked her head and body.

“ _Tell me……… Who is going to avenge her if you don’t?_ ” asked the woman’s voice sternly to Ann (who closed her eyes as she gasped and writhed even more in pain in her shackles).

“ _Forgiving him was never the option……… Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within……… I am thou, thou art I……… We can finally forged a contract………_ ” the woman’s voice told Ann (who let out a scream of pain and agony before she slumped down in exhaustion).

“I hear you……… Carmen. You’re right. No more holding back………!” said Ann quite loudly and in agreement to the woman’s voice named Carmen before a red-coloured cat-shaped mask appear on her face (which make both Shadow Kamoshida and not-Ann gasped and step back in nervousness).

“ _There you go……… Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. Understand? Then I’ll gladly lend you my strength._ ” said Carmen proudly to Ann as she finally break her arms and legs free from the shackles of the cross before she grabbed and ripped off her mask, causes blood to burst out and run down her face before a strong beam of dark blue flames suddenly appear and enveloped around Ann before the flames died down to reveal Ann (whose uniform had change into a different tight-looking red latex zipper suit with cleavage cutout on it and a clipped on long red tail behind it, dark red thigh high boots on her legs and a pair of pink gloves on her hands) with a tall, large, slim-looking, dark-skinned, shoulder-length and curly black-haired, yellow-eyed woman wearing a sleeveless layered red, pink and black-coloured stripe dress as she holds a heart-shaped face man wearing a black suit by the back collar of his suit while she stepped on the back of another under her stiletto shoe as she stands behind Ann.

After Ann awakened to her Persona, she glance in defiance at Shadow Kamoshida, not-Ann and knights before she charge toward one of the nearest knights, kicked his sword out of his hand up into the air, jumped and grabbed hold of the sword with her hands before she swung the sword down on not-Ann, which make her scream out in surprise and pain before she fell to her knees and dissipated into black mists.

Shadow Kamoshida step back even more in nervousness and fear from Ann after she got rid of her copy while the golden-armored knight moved in front of him to protect him from her.

“You know what? I’m not some cheap girl you can toy with……… you scumbag.” said Ann coldly to Shadow Kamoshida as she stood up and glared at him.

“Bitch………!” muttered Shadow Kamoshida angrily as he glared back at her.

“You stole everything from Shiho……… You destroyed her……… Now it’s your turn! I’ll rob you of everything………!” yell Ann as she take a few steps forward, raised and pointed a finger accusingly at Kamoshida while Joker, Skull, Mona and Seraph walked forward and stood on both sides of her.

“How dare you! Enough of your insolence!” yell the golden knight angrily at Ann before he and 2 of his fellow knights standing with him started to shake, melted down to a large puddle on the floor and merged together before they formed and reveal a large, purple-skinned, red-eyed horned and bearded demon sitting on a toilet seat.

“ _Yet another new Persona that I’ve never seen before and didn’t have. Pharos, what is it called?_ ” asked Seraph.

" _That Persona is call Belphegor, Minato."_ replied Pharos.

" _I see. Thanks for telling me, Pharos."_ said Seraph thankfully to Pharos.

“No, I’ve enough of you. Nothing and no one’s gonna stop me now! Let’s go, Carmen!” retorted Ann to the demon as she clench her hands into fists before she (and the others) got into battle stance.

“How dare you deny King Kamoshida’s love, you selfish lass!? Pay for this insolence with your life!” exclaimed the demon angrily to Ann.

“That dirtbag just sees women as sexual outlets! Don’t make me laugh with that “love” bullshit!” snapped Ann angrily to the demon as a whip weapon appear in front of her and she take it in her hands. “C’mon, Carmen! Let’s give ‘em a fiery hell!” said Ann to Carmen.

“ _Of course, my mistress._ ” said Carmen as she nodded to Ann, who charge toward the shadow with Joker, Skull, Mona and Seraph and they proceed to attack it relentlessly with their weapons, managed to knock it down before they jumped and attack it swiftly from all sides.

The shadow was not amused with their attacks as it got up from the floor, healed it’s injuries a little with a Dia skill before it uses Magaru skill on all of them, injuring them a little and managed to knock Skull down.

“Skull!” yell Joker concernly to Skull before he glared at the shadow. “You’ll pay for that! Come, Pyro Jack!” said Joker angrily at the shadow before he switch his persona Arsene to Pyro Jack and uses Agi skill on it, knock it down again before he, Mona, Seraph and Ann jumped and attack it from all sides again until they defeated it.

“To think……… there would be a woman……… who could stand up to King Kamoshida………” said the shadow weakly to Ann.

“Pff, outside of school, that guy’s nothing but a pathetic loser!” said Ann mockingly to the shadow before it dissipated into black mist while Joker helped Skull to stand up from the floor.

After the shadow dissipated away, Joker, Skull, Mona and Seraph turned to glared at Shadow Kamoshida while Ann panted tiredly as she hunched over and placed her hands on her knees.

“Oh shit………!” said Shadow Kamoshida fearfully to himself before he quickly turned and run out of the room and away from them.

“Wait………!” yell Ann as she try to go after him but fell to her knees in exhaustion.

“Takamaki-san! Here, let me help you up.” said Seraph as he approach, gently grabbed Ann’s shoulders and helped her stand up from the floor.

“Why’d you come here, man!? And more importantly, how!?” yell Skull in a reprimanding tone of voice to Ann.

“Hey! Is that how you speak to a woman!?” snapped Mona as he and Seraph scowled at Skull before they glance concernly at Ann. “Are you all right, Lady Ann!?” asked Mona softly to Ann.

“Lady Ann………?” said Ann as she pull herself away from Seraph and glance at Mona in surprise and confusion. “Wait, what is this thing? Is it alive………? How can it talk? And……… where in the world are we………!?” demanded Ann to them.

“J-Just calm down. Everything’s going to be OK; don’t worry.” said Mona reassuringly to Ann.

“How am I supposed to calm down!?” yell Ann quite frustratedly to Mona before she glance down and saw her new outfit with a disbelief look on her face. “H-Huh………? Why am I dressed like this!? When did I- Ugh, what’s with this!?” added Ann as she covered her body with her arms and kneel down in embarrassment.

“We’ll explain to slowly to you later, Takamaki-san. Right now we need to get out of here before Kamoshida return with reinforcements.” said Joker warningly to Ann and to the others.

“Joker’s right, guys! We don’t have a choice. Let’s retreat for now!” said Mona as he glance at Skull and Seraph.

“Right. Come on, Takamaki-san.” said Seraph with a nod of his head.

“We were just getting’ fired up, and you had to come and get in the way……… Rgh, fine………” grumbled Skull before he and Seraph approach Ann and hold out their hands. “Here……… give us your arms.” Skull told Ann before she warily placed her hands on theirs and stood up before they turned and quickly left the castle.

XXXX

**In the subway station………**

“Which one you want?” asked Ryuji to Ann as he’s holding several soda bottles in his hands after he bought them from a convenience store in the station.

“Whichever’s not carbonated.” replied Ann.

“Uh, they’re all carbonated actually.” said Ryuji with a slightly sheepish look on his face.

“Then………” said Ann as she take the pepsi one from Ryuji before he hold out the other 2 bottles to both Akira and Minato and they take the bottles and thanked him for it.

“What about me?” asked Morgana as he popped out of Akira’s bag and glance at Ryuji.

“Huh? But you’re a cat.” said Ryuji as he crossed his arms (which make Morgana scowled at him before he glance at Ann).

“………Have you calmed down, Lady Ann?” asked Morgana concernly to Ann.

“Yeah, I am. Um……… Morgana, right?” replied Ann before she turned to glance at Morgana in surprise. “I really am talking to a cat……… This feels so strange………”

“Don’t be, Takamaki-san. You’ll get use to it soon enough like us.” said Akira reassuringly to Ann.

“It’s only natural that you’re confused. Demanding that you understand all of this right after what you went through is asking too much.” said Morgana.

“Honestly, I still can’t believe what happened……… And that power……… my Persona………” said Ann as she shake her head in disbelief a little.

“It’s the will of your rebellion, Lady Ann. With it, you’ll be able to fight with us in that other world.” explained Morgana.

“I see. So if what you told me is true, we can make Kamoshida have a change of heart, right?” asked Ann as she glance at Akira. “Is it really possible………? Can we actually force him to confess his crimes?”

“Yes. We can if we try, Takamaki-san. Because no one else will.” replied Akira while Minato nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, Kurusu’s right. The volleyball team’s keepin’ quiet about this, while teachers and parents turn a blind eye. If guys and girls like us complain, they’re just gonna shot us down. Goin’ all in on this plan is the only choice we got.” said Ryuji as he clench his fists.

“Then let me help too. I want to make him pay for what happened to Shiho.” said Ann determinedly to them. “He just keeps going like nothing happened, even after what he did to her……… I’ll never forgive him.”

“Wait, did you just said, “let me help”? You mean you want us to take you along?” asked Ryuji in a surprise tone of voice to Ann.

“Are you sure about that, Ann?” added Akira concernly to her.

“I think we should let her come with us to help out, you guys. Because she’s awaken to her persona before we leave that bastard’s palace.” said Minato.

“Thank you, Ariato-kun. Don’t act like I’m gonna drag you guys down. Weren’t you guys watching? I can fight too.” replied Ann as she scowled at Ryuji (who glance and exchange worry looks with Minato before they both glance at Akira).

“Hey, what should we do?” asked Ryuji.

“I’ll admit that it’s dangerous to bring her but……… that is because she’s not like us up until a few minutes ago. And like what Arisato-kun just said to us, she has awaken to her persona like we did and she can fight so I don’t see any reason on why we shouldn’t bring her with us.” replied Akira with a small yet firm nod of his head to Ryuji and Minato.

“I agree as well. The more the merrier, after all.” said Morgana in an agreeing tone of voice to Akira. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect her.” added Morgana firmly to Akira.

“Good to see that we have have made up our minds about Takamaki-san.” said Minato.

“Yeah, we know, Arisato-kun.” said Akira.

“Even if you guys say no, I’d just go in alone.” said Ann as she scowled at them.

“Oh right, she can entered the palace by herself now that she has the app……… Rgh, fine.” said Ryuji as he scratch his head in slight exasperation at Ann’s decision.

“Then it’s decided. Well, I hope we’ll get along!” said Ann as she smiled at both Ryuji and Minato before she turned to glance at Akira. “I’m going to make Kamoshida pay and atone for what he did. Not just for Shiho’s sake……… but for everything he’s done. I won’t let any more people suffer because of him. I’ll do whatever it takes!” added Ann sternly and firmly to Akira.

“Yes, we will, Takamaki-san. Together.” said Akira as he nodded to Ann and felt a strong fighting resolve from Ann, which Minato noticed as he saw Akira froze and stand still for a moment then saw a card forming above Ann’s head before the card flew down toward Akira, who take it and put it into his blazer pocket.

“Just let me know when you guys are heading back in……… Oh wait! We don’t have each other’s info. Hey, give me your number and chat ID. And, um………” said Ann to them before they take out their phones and exchange numbers and chat ID with each other. “I’ll be counting on you guys, then. Same goes for you, Morgana. And also, there’s something that I want to tell you about, Arisato-kun.” added Ann as she smiled and nodded to Akira, Ryuji and Morgana.

“Yeah, right back at you too, Takamaki-san.” said Akira as both he and Ryuji smiled back at Ann.

“The pleasure is all mine, Lady Ann.” said Morgana as he smiled back at her as well.

“Something that you want to tell me about? Is it about your friend Suzui-san, Takamaki-san?” asked Minato sadly to Ann.

“………Yeah, Arisato-kun.” replied Ann as she nodded to Minato. “But can we talk about it in a different place instead of here?”

“Sure. Lead the way then, Takamaki-san.” said Minato before both he and Ann bade farewell to Akira, Ryuji and Morgana and they left the station.

XXXX

**A few minutes later, in Inokashira Park………**

“Well, here we are, Arisato-kun. Inokashira Park.” said Ann as she turned and gestured with her hand at the quiet, peaceful park next to a large and deep-looking pool around her and Minato.

“Hm, this park is quite the nice and perfect place for private conversations or meetings that no one wanted other people to know about, Takamaki-san.” said Minato jokingly to Ann, which make her give him a slap on his right shoulder and he winced a little from it. “Okay, my bad, sorry. Now for our talk about Suzui-san.”

“Yeah. Shiho……… She wanted me to tell you that she’s sorry for rejecting your help and hurting you on the rooftop back in Shujin Academy before the ambulance came and take her to the hospital.” said Ann sadly to Minato.

“She said that, huh? That’s kind of her but it’s still meaningless because I failed to helped and prevent her from falling from the roof and I’m sorry for that, Takamaki-san.” said Minato sadly and guiltily to Ann.

“Why are you apologizing to me for, Arisato-kun? It’s not your fault because you did try your best to stop her.” said Ann reassuringly to Minato.

“ _She’s right, Minato. So don’t blame yourself too much for what happened to Shiho Suzui. It’s that bastard fault for making her do that._ ” said Pharos in agreement with Ann.

“ _Yeah, I know, Pharos. Thanks._ ” said Minato slightly thankfully to Pharos before he glance at Ann. “Thanks for saying that to me, Takamaki-san. I appreciate it.” said Minato thankfully to Ann, which make her smiled at him before he froze when he felt the same familiar feeling of time around him stopped and he heard the same familiar girl’s voice spoke to him from within his head.

**To you who has accept,**

**And endured the weight of the Universe,**

**We of the Lovers Arcana,**

**Give you our blessing, Messiah.**

After the familiar girl’s voice fell silent, Minato look up and saw a single purple and pink-coloured card with the two black figures of a man and a woman standing opposite each other and staring up at a huge, purple-coloured heart floating in the sky above them appearing and floating above Ann’s head before the card fell and landed accurately on Minato’s hand and he quickly put the card into his blazer pocket before time resumed around him and Ann.

Both Minato and Ann then bade farewell to each other, left the park and take separate trains to head home. After another few minutes, the train that Minato is on with the other passengers stopped in the next station and he got off the train with them, left the station and head back and went into the apartment only to be bombarded with concern questions from Makoto and a stern lecture from Sae for what he did in Shujin Academy.

Minato spend the next half-hour answering Makoto’s questions and explained his action calmly to Sae and also reassured them both that he’s alright but worry for Shiho Suzui until he’s done before they had a quiet and solemn dinner, take their separate baths then head back to their rooms to sleep.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, on an almost empty street in Aoyama-Itchome………**

Kanakubo-sensei is on his way to the police station with the intention to hand over his phone that had the voice recording evidence of Kamoshida abusing and threatening the Shujin students and responsible for causing Shiho Suzui to jump from the roof to incriminate and put him in jail for his crime.

But unbeknownst to him, a hooded figure holding a baseball bat followed behind him and just as Kanakubo-sensei sense his presence, stopped walking and turned to see who is it, the hooded figure immediately raised and swung the baseball bat down on Kanakubo-sensei’s head, causing him to yell out in pain and fall to the ground while the hooded figure kept on hitting him with the bat until his head became heavily bruised and bleeding and he fell into unconsciousness. The hooded figure then stopped attacking him, got down on one knee to check over his clothes until he found and quickly put the phone into his pants pocket, left the area and left Kanakubo-sensei behind.

A few minutes after the hooded figure left, a young, goth-looking female doctor came by and saw Kanakubo-sensei lying injured and unconscious on the ground and she quickly approach and crouch down near him while taking out her phone to call for an ambulance.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, in the airport………**

“Welcome to Tokyo, close friends of Kirijo-san. My name is Mitsuyoshi Tokugawa and it’s nice to meet you all.” greeted Mitsuyoshi politely to Junpei, Ken, Yukari, Aigis and Koromaru as they got off the plane after it arrived in Tokyo and landed in the airport.

“Uh yeah, nice to meet you too, Tokugawa-san.” greeted Yukari politely back to Mitsuyoshi while both Ken and Aigis nodded to him and Koromaru barked at him.

“No freaking way! You’re the Mitsuyoshi Tokugawa, a descendant of Ieyasu Tokugawa!?” said Junpei with a shock and awed look on his face at Mitsuyoshi.

“That’s right.” said Mitsuyoshi as he nodded to Junpei.

“Just ignore him, Tokugawa-san. That’s what we did when he’s like that.” sighed Yukari as she rolled her eyes at Junpei (who scowled at her).

“Duly noted. Well then, may I ask what brings you all here to Tokyo? Is it another of those “cases”?” asked Mitsuyoshi curiously to them.

“Yes, that’s correct, Tokugawa-san. It’s another one of those “cases”.” replied Aigis as she nodded to Mitsuyoshi.

“I see. Well then, I’ll stay out of your way about those “cases” as usual.” said Mitsuyoshi before he heard and felt his phone started ringing in his pocket. “Ah. Excuse me while I take this call.” Mitsuyoshi told them as he take out and answer his phone.

“Hello, this is Tokugawa speaking.” said Mitsuyoshi to the person calling him before a shock and worry look appear on his face. “What did you just say!? Kyosuke’s got attack by someone and is in the hospital now!? Which hospital!?” demanded Mitsuyoshi to the person, who quickly told him which hospital it is before he dismiss the call, closed and put his phone back into his pocket before he take out and handed a piece of paper to Yukari.

“I’m sorry but I need to leave now to see my brother. He got attacked by someone and got sent to a hospital. Here’s the address of the hotel that you all will be staying.” Mitsuyoshi told them.

“Thanks, Tokugawa-san. Now hurry up and go see your brother quickly!” said Yukari concernly to Mitsuyoshi, who nodded before he turned and quickly walked away to where his car is while Junpei, Ken, Yukari, Aigis and Koromaru turned and left the airport.


	20. Chapter 20

**The next day, in the Niijima apartment………**

Minato let out a light groan when he felt someone repeatedly poking at his back before he woke up and sat up from the bed then turned to see who is it that’s poking him and saw that it’s Pharos. “Pharos, what do you think you’re doing, poking me repeatedly? You know that I’ll wake up early without you poking me.” said Minato in an irritated tone of voice at Pharos.

“ _Yeah, I know you do, Minato. However, I’ve a reason on why I’m poking you to get you to wake up is because I’ve something important to tell you._ ” said Pharos apologetically then firmly to Minato.

“Something important to tell me? Like what, Pharos?” asked Minato in confusion at Pharos.

“ _Well, like the fact that I’ve sense that some of your former teammates/persona-users of SEES is here in Tokyo now._ ” replied Pharos.

“W-Wait, what did you just say!? They’re all here already!?” said Minato in surprise at Pharos.

“ _I didn’t say all of them, only some of them is here now, Minato. So what’re you gonna do now that I’ve told you about them?_ ” asked Pharos.

“……… What else? I’m going to see them, after school ends for today, of course.” replied Minato with a small smile on his face at knowing that he’ll see some of his former teammates/persona-users soon.

“ _Of course you will, Minato. I wonder, will they be surprise, shock or happy to see you or all at once after Elizabeth freed you from your duty as the Great Seal?_ ” said Pharos with a pondering look on his face.

“I guess we’ll see soon enough, Pharos. For now, I should be getting ready to go to school with Makoto-san.” said Minato to Pharos (who smiled before he vanish) as he got off the bed and left his room to take a bath, change into his uniform, had a quiet breakfast with Makoto before they grabbed their bags and left the apartment and head to the subway station.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, in the lobby in a hotel in Ikebukuro………**

“So now that we’re here, do you know the current whereabouts of this shadow of “Death” that you detected back in Mitsuru-san’s mansion?” asked Ken as he, Yukari and Junpei glance at Aigis right after they had their baths and breakfast.

“Yes, I do, Ken. It seems to be heading toward the Aoyama-Itchome area. And not only that, it also found and hidden itself inside a human.” replied Aigis as she nodded to Ken without looking.

“For real? It hid itself inside some random human!? Isn’t this bad because if we do found whoever it is that has “Death” inside him or her body and we fight it, won’t it caused damage on the guy or girl too, Ai-chan?” said Junpei in a shock and worry tone of voice at Aigis.

“He’s right, Aigis. Isn’t there another way for us to fight “Death” without hurting the unfortunate person who has it?” said Yukari worriedly to Aigis as well.

“I understood your concerns for the person who holds “Death” inside his or her body, Yukari-san, Junpei-san. And worry not because there’s a way for me to get “Death” out without hurting the person holding it.” said Aigis reassuringly to both Yukari and Junpei, who sighed in relief unison while Ken had a relief look on his face before they left the hotel to begin their mission.

XXXX

**At the same time, inside a spacious office in the SIU building………**

Mitsuyoshi is currently trying to find some evidence on whoever it is that attacks his brother Kyosuke last night on his laptop inside his office with a cold look on his face when he heard someone knocking on his door from outside. “Come in.” said Mitsuyoshi coldly to the person that knock on his door before it opened and Mitsuyoshi glance up and saw that it’s Sae. “Oh, hello, Sae.” greeted Mitsuyoshi softly to Sae.

“Hello, Mitsuyoshi. I’ve just heard about what happened to your brother, Kyosuke. How is he now?” asked Sae concernly to Mitsuyoshi about Kyosuke.

“……… He’s stable for now but still unconscious, Sae. And I’ll find whoever it is that’s responsible for attacking him yesterday.” replied Mitsuyoshi in cold anger to Sae.

“Listen, I know that you’re angry at whoever attack your brother but………” said Sae calmly to Mitsuyoshi.

“You’re right that I’m angry at whoever attack my brother and I won’t stop until I find the person responsible for doing it, Sae. You may go now.” said Mitsuyoshi even more coldly to Sae, which make her let out a sad sigh before she turned and walked away.

XXXX

**A few minutes later, in the classroom………**

“Hm? What’s wrong, Hanzo-kun? Why do you, Haru-san and the rest of the classmates look gloomy for?” asked Minato at Hanzo after he stepped into the classroom and saw the gloom looks on their faces as he walked toward and sat down in his seat.

“You don’t know, Minato-kun? Kawakami-sensei told us that our homeroom teacher, Kanakubo-sensei got attacked by someone last night and he’s now in the hospital.” replied Hanzo solemnly to Minato (who gasped and had a shock look on his face).

“ _What? He got attacked and is now in the hospital? And it happened right after he confronted Kamoshida about what he did to Suzui-san and what he’s about to do to us and I had a strong feeling that Kamoshida’s the one who did it._ ” thought Minato in cold anger in his mind at Kamoshida before Chouno-sensei came into the class and began her teaching to the students. Halfway through Chouno-sensei’s teaching, Minato felt his phone vibrating and he discreetly pull it out to see and read the incoming message under his desk.

RS: _Hey. We’re meeting up at the hideout after school, right?  Also, did you guys heard about what happened to Kanakubo-sensei!?_

AT: _Don’t text us now. We’re in class. And yeah, we did heard about what happened to poor Kanakubo-sensei. I wonder who could have attacked him and why?_

MA: _She’s right, Sakamoto-kun. So pay attention to what the teacher is teaching us about. And as for who is it that attacks Kanakubo-sensei, I think it's Kamoshida that did it._

RS: _Woah! You mean you guys are actually listening to this crap and are you serious, Arisato!?  Then again, it sounds like what he would do, that bastard!_

AK: _Obviously, Sakamoto-kun. Because of whatever we learn today or tomorrow can helped us in the future. Also, calm down, will you?_

AT: _Yeah, we know. But none of it is really sticking today………_

RS: _I know right. Anyway, hideout after school?_

AT: _Where exactly is this “hideout”?_

RS: _The school’s rooftop, of course, you guys._

AT: _Wait. We can still go up there?_

RS: _Yeah, I’ll let you guys in. Welp, I’ll be waiting, just come on up once school’s over._

MA: _Right._

AT: _Sure._

AK: _Understood._

RS: _I’m gonna fine you guys if you’re all late!_

After Minato’s done seeing and texting messages on his phone to Akira, Ryuji and Ann, he discreetly put his phone back into his pocket and resumed listening to Chouno-sensei’s teaching.

XXXX

**After school, on the school’s rooftop………**

“Looks like we’re all here. Mkay, let’s get goin’ to the Palace!” said Ryuji impatiently to Akira, Ann, Morgana and Minato after they gathered and meet up on the rooftop.

“Hold on, it’s still too early for us to head into the Palace.” said Morgana.

“But why? Don’t we just gotta steal that Treasure thingy?” asked Ryuji in confusion to Morgana.

“Don’t underestimate the dangers of that place. We need to prepare first.” replied Morgana as he scowled at Ryuji.

“Ain’t that Persona shit we got enough to deal with it?” said Ryuji as he scowled back at Morgana.

“That’s exactly what I mean when I say don’t underestimate it. You’ll end up dead if you mess up in there. So again, we need to prepare before we head in.” said Morgana.

“He right and I agreed with him, Sakamoto-kun. It's dangerous for us to go in without the necessary weapons and medicines.” said Minato as he nodded in agreement with Morgana.

“But……… how exactly are we supposed to do that?” asked Ann.

“I’m glad you asked, Lady Ann. First we need to find and purchase better equipment for all of you.” replied Morgana as he glance and gave a small smile to Ann.

“You talkin’ about weapons? I know a kick-ass place!” said Ryuji with a wide grin on his face.

“In that case, you can handle that side of things, Ryuji.” said Morgana approvingly to Ryuji. “The only other thing would be stocking up on medicines since fatigue is unavoidable for us in the Palace……… Luckily for both me and Akira, we found out and knew about a doctor that works in a clinic in Yongen-Jaya so we’ll be going there to purchase some medicines from her later on.” added Morgana as he glance at Akira.

“Yeah, that’s right.” said Akira with a nod of his head to them. “And what about you, Arisato-kun? If you don’t have anything to do then you can either accompany me and Morgana or Sakamoto-kun to check out the two places that sells weapons and medicines.” added Akira to Minato.

“Thanks and as much as I want to accompany either one of you to check the two places out, I can’t.” said Minato slightly apologetically to them both.

“Huh? Why not, Arisato?” asked Ryuji in confusion at Minato.

“Because there’s something that I need to do later, something important.” replied Minato.

“Really? And what’s this “important” stuff that you need to do later?” asked Akira slightly suspiciously at Minato (who stay silent and didn’t answer his question). “………Fine, don’t tell us.” sighed Akira.

“Don’t be like that, Kurusu-kun. I’m sure he has his reason in not telling us.” said Ann as she scowled at Akira.

“ _Thank you and you’re right, Takamaki-san. I can’t tell you guys about them, not yet, at least._ ” thought Minato to himself.

“Now that we’re all done talking and got that out, Akira and I’ll be leaving for Yongen while Ryuji will be leaving for Shibuya now, so meeting adjourned for today!” said Morgana before he and Akira bade farewell to Ann, Ryuji and Minato and they left the rooftop and the school before Ann, Ryuji and Minato left the rooftop, bade farewell and split up to head back to their class to get their bags.

“ _Ready to see them now, Minato?_ ” asked Pharos.

“Yes, I am ready, Pharos.” replied Minato as he walked out of the classroom and left the school.

 


	21. Chapter 21

**In front of Shujin Academy………**

“This is the place where you sense “Death” is, Aigis?” said Yukari in disbelief at Aigis as she, Junpei, Aigis, Ken and Koromaru stands in front of Shujin Academy while ignoring the Shujin students walking out of the school past them and whispering about them.

“Are you serious and sure that “Death” is really here and inside one of the students who comes here, Ai-chan?” said Junpei as he glance in disbelief at Aigis as well.

“Yes, I sense that it’s here in this school and very sure that it’s inside one of the students, Yukari-san, Junpei-san. Furthermore, the student who harbors “Death” inside him or her is approaching.” said Aigis as she nodded to both Yukari and Junpei without looking.

“The student who holds “Death” inside him or her body is approaching, huh? We should get ready to talk to and bring this student away with us to a secluded spot devoid of people so that we can get it out of the student, fight and sealed it away and back to where it came from.” said Ken as he put his hand into his jacket and clasped his hand around his Evoker.

“Yeah. Also we should try to convince the student to forget everything and go back to his or her normal life after we dealt with “Death”. Because there’s no need for us to dragged him or her into what we use to do years ago.” said Yukari concernly to Junpei, Aigis, Ken and Koromaru and they nodded to her while Koromaru barked in agreement at her.

Junpei, Yukari, Aigis, Ken and Koromaru then ceased talking and waited in silence for the student that holds “Death” inside him or her to come walking out of the school and when Aigis told them which student is the one that holds Death at the same time Minato came walking out, spotted and stopped in front of them, which make Junpei, Yukari, Aigis and Ken gasped and widened their eyes in complete disbelief, surprise and shock when they saw that the student that just walked out is none other than their old friend and former leader of SEES, Minato Arisato himself.

“ _How long has it been since I last saw them after I died on the rooftop of Gekkoukan high school on Aigis’s lap on Graduation Day and became the Great Seal? I missed them a lot, especially Yukari and now……… they all look grown up with the exception of Koromaru, who still look the same._ ” thought Minato nostalgically in his mind and with a smile on his face when he glance at each of them. “Hey, you guys. It’s been a while, isn’t it? You guys look well.” greeted Minato politely to them.

“No freaking way………!” sputtered Junpei.

“How can this be!?” sputtered Ken as well.

“M-Minato-san?” said Aigis, at a loss for words.

“M-Minato? Is it really you?” said Yukari with a joy and hopeful look on her face and she pray that she and the others are not in a dream and that the person standing in front of them is real and alive instead of dead.

As for Koromaru, he slowly walked up to Minato, sniffed him for a while before he let out happy barks then run in a joyful circle around Minato, who smiled and chuckle at Koromaru’s joy and action to him before he got down on one knee, stopped Koromaru from running around him and hold out his hand to patted Koromaru’s head, which make Koromaru let out a happy whine before he licked Minato’s face.

“Hey, Koro-chan. It’s nice to see you too.” said Minato happily and softly to Koromaru.

“Oh my god. It’s really you, Minato! Koromaru proved it!” said Yukari with a more joyful look on her face before she covered her mouth with her hands and tears brimming in her eyes.

“Holy shit! He’s alive and he’s back! That’s awesome!” said Junpei in a quite loud, joyful and relief tone of voice.

“But still, if he’s back and alive then doesn’t it mean that Nyx will return and end the world? And how is this possible, Minato-san? It’s just so hard to believe………” said Ken quietly to Aigis.

“That’s true. We came here because we saw and sense that………” said Aigis before Minato quickly raised his hand to cut off her words.

“Yeah, I know that you guys are feeling very shock, surprise and happy when you guys saw me alive right here and now. Thus, I’ll explain and tell you guys on how I’m brought back from my duty and from the dead but not here near the school, okay? Why don’t we leave now and go somewhere quiet and had less people like Inokashira park right now?” said Minato calmly to them.

“He’s right. We should leave now because we’re drawing the attention of the students to ourselves.” said Ken in agreement with Minato when he noticed some students is watching and talking about them.

“Sounds good to me.” said Junpei as he nodded his head.

“Understood. We should be going now and are you coming with us, Minato-san?” asked Aigis as she glance at Minato.

“Of course I will, Aigis. Because I’m sure that you guys wanted explanation and answers from me.” replied Minato.

“We’re glad to hear that and you’re right that we do have questions for you plus an explanation, Minato. Let’s go then.” said Yukari as she smiled at Minato before she, Junpei, Ken, Aigis, Koromaru and Minato turned and walked down the street toward the subway station away from Shujin Academy and the students that’s still standing and talking about them.

XXXX

**A few minutes later, in Inokashira Park………**

Once Minato and his old friends/teammates arrived, found and stand in a secluded field near the lake in Inokashira Park and they commenced the questions.

“Tell us, Minato-san. How are you alive and here right now? And also doesn’t this means that Nyx will or have already returned to the world?” Ken asked the same question to Minato.

“Yeah, that’s right. Also Ai-chan told us that she sense that “Death” is back and is inside the body of a student. It couldn’t be you again, right, Minato?” asked Junpei worriedly to Minato.

“Ken, the reason why I’m alive and here right now is because of Elizabeth. She managed to find a way to freed me from my duty as the Great Seal by using a chunk of her power and all of the close bonds that I had with you guys and the others back in Port Island years ago to replace me and prevented Nyx from waking up and seeing Erebus so the world is still safe from them both. And I hate to say this but you’re right, Junpei. “Death” is sealed inside me and I became it’s vessel once again.” replied Minato as he glance at both Ken and Junpei.

“Elizabeth-san did, huh? Then we’re glad and grateful to her for managing to find a way to freed you from being the Seal and we’re sorry to hear that “Death” is sealed inside you once again, Minato-san. Even so, welcome back.” said Aigis as she smiled in joy and relief at Minato.

“Yeah, what Aigis said, Minato. And……… I don’t care that “Death” is inside you once again because I really missed and wanted to see you very much………” said Yukari before she started crying in joy in relief.

“Yeah, I can see that you do, Yukari. And I really missed and wanted to see you too.” said Minato as he smiled softly at Yukari before he opened his arms for her and she immediately run forward and wrapped her arms tightly around him while his arms closed around her and he hugged her back while Junpei, Ken and Aigis watched them embraced each other with happy looks on their face and Koromaru let out a happy bark.

After both Minato and Yukari’s done embracing each other and pull away, Minato then spend the next few minutes talking to them and knowing that they’re all doing well (including Mitsuru Kirijo, Akihiko Sanada and Fuuka Yamagishi) and had stable jobs of their own.

Once they’re done talking, Yukari ask and told Minato on whether he wanted to come back to Port Island with them, he answer and told her that he wanted to finish his third year in Shujin Academy first (while leaving out the PT and the app on his phone that can take him into the Metaverse) before going back with them and they nodded before Minato promises that he’ll see them again before he bade farewell and walked away from them and the park and head home.

XXXX

**In Niijima apartment………**

“Welcome back, Arisato-kun.” greeted Makoto coolly to Minato from the living room once he came back.

“Yeah, I’m back, Niijima-san.” greeted Minato coolly back to her.

“Before you head to your room, there’s something that I want to ask you about, Arisato-kun.” said Makoto.

“Like what?” said Minato.

“Like who were those people that talk and act all friendly and close to you in front of the school gate of Shujin?” asked Makoto.

“They’re close friends of mine before I came here to Tokyo, Niijima-san. That’s all.” replied Minato.

“Really?” said Makoto suspiciously at Minato.

“Yes, really. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be heading to my room now. Good night, Niijima-san.” said Minato even more coolly to Makoto before he walked down the hallway toward his room, went in and closed the door behind him.

Makoto watched Minato went into his room and closed the door behind him for another few seconds before she sighed, stood up from the couch, left the living room and down the hallway toward her room before she went in and closed the door behind her and fell asleep.


	22. Chapter 22

**The next day, in the lobby in a hotel in Ikebukuro………**

After Yukari, Junpei, Aigis, Ken and Koromaru woke up, had their baths and breakfast and met in the hotel’s lobby, Aigis then take out her phone and called Mitsuru to tell her the news of Minato resurrection and about “Death” sealed inside him while also turning on the phone’s speaker so that her friends can hear and talk to Mitsuru.

“Hello, Mitsuru-san.” said Aigis to Mitsuru through her phone.

“ _Hello, Aigis. So how goes your mission in searching for “Death” with Yukari, Junpei, Ken and Koromaru? Did you all find and managed to defeat or sealed it away?_ ” said Mitsuru.

“Actually, Mitsuru-san, as we do our mission in searching for “Death”, we found it hidden itself inside a student attending Shujin Academy and we were very shock when we see who the student that harbor “Death” is.” Aigis said and explain to Mitsuru.

“ _So you’re telling me that “Death” is inside a student and what do you mean by you all were very shock when you all see the student, Aigis?_ ” asked Mitsuru in confusion to Aigis.

“You wouldn’t believe who we saw, Mitsuru-san! The student who harbors “Death” inside his body is Minato Arisato, our friend and leader of SEES! He’s alive and he’s back!” said Yukari joyfully to Mitsuru before Aigis could say anything.

“ _………… W-What did you just say, Yukari? Did you just say that Arisato is back and alive and is also harboring “Death” inside him? That can’t be possible!_ ” said Mitsuru in a disbelief tone of voice to Yukari.

“Yes, Mitsuru-san! That’s what I just said to you and it’s not impossible, he’s really alive and back!” said Yukari in slight exasperation at Mitsuru.

“It’s true, Mitsuru-san. We were in front of Shujin Academy and we did see him alive for real.” said Ken in an agreeing tone of voice to Mitsuru.

“ _You all are really telling the truth about Arisato? He’s truly alive and back? But then who is it that brought him back from the dead and what about Nyx and Erebus, if he’s back and alive then doesn’t it means that there’s nothing stopping them from meeting and ending the world?_ ” said Mitsuru grimly to them.

“Oh, about that, senpai……… You don’t have to worry about it because Nyx is still sealed away so Erebus still can’t see and freed her from it and it’s that velvet room chick, Elizabeth’s who somehow found a way to bring him back alive.” said Junpei happily to Mitsuru.

“ _Is that so? That’s wonderful news for me to hear from you all then. So now that there’s no danger of shadows in Tokyo and Nyx and Erebus is still sealed away, you all may come back now and bring Arisato back with you all._ ” said Mitsuru.

“Of course we’ll return but Minato-san told us that he’s not coming with us because he intend to stay in Shujin Academy to finish his third year since he wasn’t able to before he “died” years ago, Mitsuru-san.” said Aigis.

“ _He said that to you all? But now that you mention it, it’s true that he “died” before he could get into his third year of high school so I guess he can stay and finish it before he can come back._ ” said Mitsuru.

“In that case, I want to stay here with him too, Mitsuru-san!” said Yukari firmly to Mitsuru.

“I too want to stay here with Minato-san because he’s my highest priority, Mitsuru-san.” said Aigis firmly to Mitsuru as well.

“Are you two serious?” said Junpei as he glance in disbelief and shock at both Yukari and Aigis while Ken let out a small sigh.

“ _………Fine, very well then, Yukari, Aigis, the two of you can stay in Tokyo with him until he finish his third year of high school and graduate while Junpei, Ken and Koromaru return to Kyoto._ ” sighed Mitsuru.

“Thank you for allowing us to stay here with him, Mitsuru-san.” said Aigis thankfully to Mitsuru.

“Yes, thank you.” said Yukari thankfully to Mitsuru as well before they bade farewell to Mitsuru and Aigis turned off and put her phone back into her pocket then they left the hotel.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, in Shujin Academy………**

“Good morning, Makoto-san and Minato-kun.” greeted Haru to both Minato and Makoto when she saw them on their way to school together next to her and Hanzo.

“Yeah, good morning, you two.” greeted Hanzo to both of them as well.

“Good morning, Hanzo-kun and Haru-san.” Minato greeted back to them both while Makoto smiled and nodded to them.

As Minato, Makoto, Hanzo and Haru approach the school’s gate after they greeted each other, both Minato and Hanzo saw with annoy looks on their faces at Kamoshida as he stands outside the school gates and greeting the students with a fake, wide grin on his face.

“Tch, seeing him standing outside the school and greeting the students really annoys me a lot.” grumbled Minato as he scowled at Kamoshida.

“Just ignored him, Minato-kun.” said Hanzo calmly to Minato before they resumed walking toward the school and Kamoshida immediately turned to glance and smirk smugly at them when he saw them approaching of the corner of his eyes.

“Good morning.” greeted Kamoshida coolly to the four of them.

“Good morning, Kamoshida-sensei.” greeted both Makoto and Haru politely to Kamoshida while both Minato and Hanzo stay silent before they walked past him and up the steps into the school and into their classroom.

XXXX

**A few minutes later, inside the classroom………**

Minato felt his phone vibrating and he discreetly pull it out to see and read the incoming messages under his desk.

RS: _So I saw Kamoshida at the school gate this morning. He was just standing there looking at me with this shit-eating grin on his face._

AT: _Ugh, that’s annoying……… He was probably mocking you._

RS: _Honestly, seeing that got me more fired up about this._

AT: _Yeah, I’m worried about Shiho, but I want to concentrate on our operation too. And I won’t let myself get exhausted like last time._

MA: _Yeah, we know, Takamaki-san. We’re doing this not just for Suzui-san but also for the other students that he abused and Kanakubo-sensei that he attacked._

RS: _The board meeting’s on May 2nd, right? We just gotta take care of him before then._

AK: _Yes and we will. I’m ready for this. Are you guys ready too?_

MA: _I’m ready._

RS: _Same goes for me._

AT: _Me too! I’ll do my best. No going in without me, OK?_

RS: _Yeah, you better let us know if you’re going into the Palace._

AK: _Of course. See you guys on the rooftop after school later._

After Minato is done in messaging back to Akira, Ann and Ryuji, he put his phone back into his blazer pocket and resumed listening to the Inui-sensei’s lecture.

XXXX

**A few hours later, on the rooftop………**

After the school ended for the day, Akira, Ryuji, Ann, Morgana and Minato stepped out of their classrooms, went up to the rooftop and Ann, Ryuji and Morgana sat on one of the tables and chairs while both Akira and Minato decided to stand near them and they began their discussion.

“I hope you all understand that our time limit is May 2nd.” said Morgana warningly to them.

“Yeah, we know, Morgana.” said Minato as he nodded to Morgana.

“We basically just have to go to that castle and steal the Treasure from Kamoshida, right?” said Ann.

“But wait. What even is a Treasure? I wanna know that before we head in and do anything.” asked Ryuji.

“A Treasure is the physical form of the Palace ruler’s distorted desires. In other words, it’s the core of the Palace. Once we steal it, the Palace will crumble……… I think. Having said all that, even I don’t know what Kamoshida’s Treasure is going to be.” Morgana answer and explain to Ryuji.

“I see. Thanks for the explanation, Morgana.” said Minato with a small nod of his head to Morgana.

“And where can we find it?” asked Ann.

“There’s no way of knowing that until we go in and find out. But if I had to guess, I’d say he has it locked up somewhere in the depths of the Palace.” replied Morgana.

“Eh. I think I get it now. We just gotta find the Treasure, yeah?” said Ryuji.

“Pretty much. There’s just a lot we won’t know until we go in……… In any case, our objective is to find the Treasure’s location somewhere in the Palace. Make sure we go about this with time to spare so we can avoid any unforeseen circumstances……… I expect great things from you guys.” said Morgana.

“Right back at you, Morgana and the rest of you too. Well then, let us go now.” said Akira to them as he take and hold out his phone and they nodded to him before he activated the Metaverse Navigator app on it and all of them felt and saw their surrounding started to warped and turned purple before they soon found themselves standing outside the drawbridge of the castle and their uniforms change into their alternate outfits.

“But daaamn………” said Skull as he take a slow and appreciative look at Ann’s red suit outfit.

“Hm? What’s up?” said Ann in an oblivious tone of voice to Skull (which make him stop checking her out).

“Isn’t it obvious, Takamaki-san? He’s totally checking out your outfit.” said Seraph to Ann (which make her had a surprise then scowling look on her face at Skull for checking her outfit out while Skull scowled at Seraph).

“Oh yeah, that reminds me. We should choose a code name for you too.” said Skull, changing the subject.

“A code name?” said Ann in confusion to Skull.

“That’s right, Takamaki-san. Each one of us have our own code names. Mine is Joker, Sakamoto-kun is Skull, Morgana is Mona and Minato is Seraph.” said Joker as he pointed at himself then at Skull, Mona and Seraph.

“Yeah, that’s right. What he said, Takamaki-san.” said Seraph as he nodded his head in agreement to Joker.

“Judging by your outfit………” said Mona as he crossed his arms and think about what kind of code name for Ann.

“I mean, she’s got that tail and stuff, so………” said Skull before he trailed off and glance at both Joker and Seraph. “Whadda you two think, Joker, Seraph?” asked Skull.

“How about “Kitty Girl” or “Catwoman”?” replied Joker as he glance teasingly at Ann (who recoil in surprise at Joker for the 2 code names suggested for her).

“Wait! Are those 2 what you all are going to call me from now on!? I am SO not down with those two code names!” yell Ann as she shake her head in denial at the 2 code names.

“Then what about “Feline” or “Little Cat”?” suggested Seraph.

“Nope, I don’t like those 2 code names either.” said Ann as she shake her head at Seraph’s code names for her too.

“What do you wanna be called, then?” asked Skull.

“Um, something better than just a those cat codenames from Joker and Seraph………” replied Ann sullenly as she raised and placed her hand under her chin in thinking. “Maybe……… “Panther”? That sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it?” suggested Ann as she glance at them.

“Huh? Why?” said Skull in confusion to Ann.

“Cause it sounds more……… ferocious?” said Ann.

“In a certain way, it does, Takamaki-san.” said Joker with a small nod of his head to her.

“But it’s still a cat though, a big black cat.” said Seraph with a smirk on his face.

“She’s a cougar………!” said Mona as he smiled happily and dreamily at Panther.

“Don’t call me that!” snapped Panther as she glance in slight embarrassment to Mona before she glance back at Joker, Seraph and Skull. “More importantly, Kamoshida………!” Panther reminded them.

“Oh, right. Let’s go, start fresh and get going!” said Skull excitedly to them.

“It’s game time for us from this point forward. I’ll teach you guys the basics of infiltrating a Palace as we go.” said Mona to them before he, Seraph, Skull and Panther walked forward toward the opened ventilation shaft.

As Joker was about to follow them, he stopped when he saw a velvet blue cell door suddenly appear to his right and with Justine (who’s holding a clipboard) standing next to the door before the door suddenly opened outward (while Seraph stopped when he heard and felt the familiar presence of the velvet room make it’s appearance behind him, turned around and saw it too.

“ _Huh? What the heck?_ ” thought Joker as he glance in confusion at the opened door and Justine, unaware that Seraph had turned around and saw what he saw too.

“My master would like a word with you. Step into your cell, please, Inmate.” said Justine coolly to Joker (who nodded before he walked into the velvet room and his clothes immediately change into his prisoner outfit as he glance at both Igor and Caroline).

Right after Joker walked through the velvet blue cell door and Justine closed the door behind him, she then turned to glance at Seraph.

“Greetings to you, one of the previous guests of Elizabeth and my master, Minato Arisato. My name is Justine.” said Justine as she bowed and introduced herself in cool politeness to Seraph.

“Yeah, it’s nice to meet you too, Justine. Are you related to Elizabeth, how is she doing now and are you the one that’s going to assist my successor like how Elizabeth assist me many years ago?” asked Seraph curiously to Justine.

“Yes, you’re right. I’m related to Elizabeth and so does my twin sister, Caroline. I don’t know how she’s doing or where she is now because she’s no longer in the velvet room and yes, Caroline and I are assisting the inmate in his power and his rehabilitation.” replied Justine coolly to Seraph.

“I see. Thanks for telling me about it, Justine.” said Seraph as he nodded to Justine (who nodded back) before he watch her opened the door, went into the room and closed the door behind her. After a few seconds, the door opened again and Seraph saw both Joker and Justine walked out of the room before the door closed again just as Mona, Skull and Panther approach and stopped near him and Joker.

“Hey, is something wrong, Joker, Seraph? The 2 of you were just standing around all of a sudden.” said Mona concernly to both Joker and Seraph as he, Skull and Panther approach them both.

“I was?” said Joker as he glance in confusion to Mona. “ _They can’t see the cell door of the velvet room near me?_ ” thought Joker in his mind.

“Why’re you spacin’ out like that?……… It’s kinda hard to tell what you’re thinkin’ sometimes.” said Skull as he scratch his head in slight exasperation at Joker.

“It’s nothing, Skull. So why don’t we drop it?” said Seraph.

“If you say so, Seraph. And let’s just say that Joker’s a man filled with mysteries. We’re counting on you, Joker!” said Mona.

“Right. Let’s do this!” said Joker determinedly to them before they turned around, walked toward, jumped and crawl through the opened ventilation shaft one by one and entered the castle.


	23. Chapter 23

**In Kamoshida’s Palace………**

After Joker, Mona, Seraph, Skull and Panther jumped and crawl through the opened ventilation shaft and entered the castle, they spend quite a long while in going down dozens of hallways and staircases, finding hidden key items to unlock doors and hidden rooms, opening and getting the treasures, items and money from treasure chests while fighting and defeating dozens of shadows along the way (while Seraph watched with surprise then intrigued at how Joker talk and negotiate with some of the shadows to become his persona or giving them either money or items) before they finally reached and entered a throne room and soon saw Kamoshida and some of his knights is also in the throne room with them from the second floor balcony.

“How have any of you not captured the intruders yet!?” yell Kamoshida as he glared at the knights.

“We apologize, my liege!” said one of the knights apologetically to Kamoshida (who keep on yelling angrily at them).

“I bet he’d never imagine we’re in the same room as him. Come on, let’s keep moving………” urged Mona to them before they snuck their way down the balcony toward the closed door at the center of the balcony, opened and went through it and they approach and came to a stop in front of another closed door.

“This sturdy-lookin’ door’ pretty promisin’. Let’s head inside!” said Skull before he and Seraph pushed open the door and they went into the room (which is filled with dozens of silver and gold coins, jewels, vases, chalices and a large transparent ball of energy floating in thin air in the middle of the room).

“Whoa, what is this place!? Holy shit!” said Skull as he look around at the gold and silver treasures lying on the ground around them with an awed and shock look on his face.

“Isn’t it obvious, Skull? This place is the treasure room since there’s many gold and silver treasures lying around us.” said Seraph as he rolled his eyes at Skull.

“Uh, o-of course, I knew that, Seraph! That means that Treasure thing gotta be in here somewhere!” said Skull.

“Hey, Mona, what’s this transparent floating thing in the air?” asked Panther as she, Joker, Skull, Mona and Seraph glance up at the transparent floating thing.

“ _Hehe……… That’s the Treasure, Panther. We finally found it._ ” said Mona to Panther as he jumped onto a golden vase, glance up and grinned happily at it.

“So this transparent floating thing in the air is the Treasure, huh?” thought Seraph as he glance up at it.

“Are you sure that cloudy thing’s the Treasure, Mona?” asked Joker skeptically.

“Just hold on a second, Joker, I was planning on telling you guys more once we made it this far.” said Mona as he turned to glance at Joker. “Simply finding the Treasure isn’t enough. We’ll need to make it materialize before we can steal it.” explained Mona.

“Whaddya mean………?” asked Skull in confusion to Mona.

“Desires have no physical form by nature. Hence, we’ll first need to make the real person aware that their desire are in fact a Treasure. Once they’re conscious that their desires might be stolen, the Treasure will finally show itself.” explained Mona even more to them.

“But how do we do that?” asked Panther.

“We warn them. Tell them, “We’re going to steal your heart”.” replied Mona.

“So we’re gonna send a calling card!? That’s totally what a phantom thief would do!” said Skull excitedly.

“Once we do that, the Treasure will appear for certain!……… I think!” said Mona excitedly as well.

“That again………?” muttered Skull as he shake his head at Mona.

“Sounds like a reasonable point and plan, I think it’s worth a try, Skull.” said Seraph.

“………Fine, I guess.” sighed Skull.

“Thank you for agreeing with me, Seraph and now our infiltration route is secure. All that’s left now is to pumped out a calling card in reality, then come back to the Palace to take the Treasure!” said Mona thankfully to Seraph before he glance at Joker.

“This is it, huh?” asked Panther as she glance at Joker as well.

“Yeah, it took us a while but we’re here now and we’ll do this.” replied Joker as he glance determinedly at each of his teammates.

“That’s the spirit, Joker!” said Mona proudly to Joker. “Once we sent out the calling card, there will be no turning back. Just let me know when you’re ready. We’ll head back to our hideout and send out that calling card!”

“Right, Mona. Let’s leave now, everyone.” said Joker to them and they nodded to him before they turned around and left the room.

XXXX

**On the rooftop of Shujin Academy………**

“All right! All that’s left now is to send out the calling card and take Kamoshida’s heart!” said Morgana.

“Couldn’t we have just sent one at the beginnin’ of all this………?” grumbled Ryuji tiredly at Morgana.

“It’s not that simple. A Treasure won’t stay materialized forever. Once the impression is gone, the Treasure will disappear. I think it’ll last around a day, at most.” explained Morgana sternly to Ryuji.

“The hell………? That’s like almost no time at all………” said Ryuji irritatedly at Morgana. “Anyways, we can send a callin’ card right now, yeah? Let’s do it and steal that bastard’s heart!” added Ryuji to them.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Sakamoto-kun. We’re all very tired from our ordeal in Kamoshida’s Palace so there’s no way we’re going to send the calling card to him now! Let’s sent it to him tomorrow after we had our rest today, alright?” said Akira tiredly and sternly to Ryuji.

“He’s right, Sakamoto-kun. Even you and Takamaki-san looked tired too.” said Minato calmly to them.

“………Fine, then. You’re both right, Kurusu, Arisato. We’re pretty tired now.” said Ryuji as he nodded in agreement to both Akira and Minato before they get up, left the rooftop and left the school to head home.

XXXX

**The next day, on the rooftop of Shujin Academy after school………**

After class is over, Akira, Ryuji, Ann, Minato and Morgana left their classrooms and make their way up the stairs to the school’s rooftop to begin their meeting and discussion of making and sending the calling card to Kamoshida.

“Tomorrow’s finally the day.” said Minato.

“Yeah, I’m excited and looking forward to tomorrow.” said Ryuji.

“So we send the calling card in the morning……… and carry out the plan by the end of the day, right?” asked Ann.

“That’s right and that means we have to do it ASAP.” replied Akira as he nodded to Ann.

“Correct. The effect won’t last that long……… Are you worried?” replied Morgana before he asked Ann a question.

“Heh. Waited long enough.” replied Ann.

“Soon he’ll pay for what he did to you, Suzui-san and those poor male and female members of the volleyball team.” said Minato.

“Perfect.” said Morgana as he nodded to them both.

“We’re going to pull this off, no matter what!” said Ann determinedly to them.

“Well then, which among us is going to write the card?” asked Akira as he glance at them.

“Leave it to me, Kurusu!” replied Ryuji before the others could say anything.

“Why?” said Ann as she glance dubiously at Ryuji.

“Why………? Why wouldn’t it be me!?” said Ryuji as he scowled at Ann.

“Because this is important. Are you sure you can handle the pressure?” said Ann as she furrowed her brows at Ryuji.

“I must agree with Lady Ann.” said Morgana as he scratch his ear with his paw.

“Wow, you two really think he can’t do it, huh? At least give him the chance to try, Morgana, Takamaki-san.” said Minato as he sweatdropped at both Morgana and Ann.

“Oh, come on, you two and thanks for saying that to me, Arisato! I really wanna get him good! Lemme write it……… C’mon, please?” said Ryuji gratefully to Minato before he glance and pleaded to Akira to let him write the calling card.

“Fine, then, Sakamoto-kun.” sighed Akira as he gave a small nod to Ryuji.

“Yeah, I got this! Thank you, Kurusu!” said Ryuji as he grinned excitedly at him.

“Hey, are you sure about this………? If they find out our identities, all the work we do will be for nothing………” said Ann in a warning tone of voice to Ryuji.

“I know! I know!” said Ryuji unconcernly to Ann’s warning words.

“All right, then! Tomorrow it is! You all better not slack off on this.” said Morgana as he glance at each of them.

“Don’t worry, we won’t, Morgana.” said Minato reassuringly to Morgana.

“Well then, meeting adjourned. Let’s head home now.” said Akira to them before they turned around, left the rooftop and the school and head home in anticipation for tomorrow.


	24. Chapter 24

**The next day………**

Both Minato and Makoto saw and greeted both Hanzo and Haru (who greeted back to them) after they got off the train and walked out of the station before they head toward Shujin Academy together with the other students and went into the school. Once Minato, Makoto, Hanzo and Haru stepped into the school and turned to their right, they saw several students and Ann standing and talking amongst themselves in front of 2 bulletin boards.

“Hm? Why are students standing there and talking amongst themselves in front of the bulletin boards?” said Haru to Hanzo, Minato and Makoto with a confused look on her face.

“I don’t know, Haru. I’m sure whatever it is they’re looking or talking about has nothing to do with us. Come on, we should head to our class now.” said Hanzo as he shook his head at Haru before he and Haru turned and went to their classroom, with Makoto following behind them both while Minato turned and walked toward Ann.

“Hey, Takamaki-san. What’re you and the others looking at on the board?” asked Minato after he greeted Ann.

“Morning, Arisato-kun. Why don’t you take a look yourself?” replied Ann without looking at Minato and he glance and saw dozens of red calling cards with childish logos and small pasted on words on them were pinned on the board.

“ _Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust. We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students that can’t fight back. That’s why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready. From, the “Phantom Thieves of Hearts”_. said Minato before he trailed off into silence with a deadpan look on his face. “ _………Wow. Sakamoto-kun really make and pinned a lot of these cards on the board for Kamoshida but still, I was expecting better-looking logos instead of such childish-looking ones from him._ ” added Minato to himself before both he and Ann turned around and noticed both Akira, Morgana and Ryuji standing together near some tables and chairs leaning against the wall a few feet away and they approach and stopped near them.

“Well, what do you two think? Not bad, huh? I look up a bunch of similar stuff online for reference.” asked Ryuji as he smiled a little smugly at them.

“Um……… Yeah……… I know what you wanted to say, but it sounded like an idiot trying to be an adult.” said Ann flatly to Ryuji.

“Your logo’s a little lacking, too.” said Morgana as he popped out of Akira’s bag and glance disappointedly at Ryuji.

“Yeah, they look childish.” said Akira in agreement with Morgana.

“OK, y’two know what? Th-That ain’t true!” protested Ryuji uncomfortably to them before he glance at Minato. “What about you, Arisato? What do you think of them?” asked Ryuji.

“………Well, sorry to say this but I agreed with Kurusu-kun, Takamaki-san and Morgana that the logo and the words you draw and pasted on those cards are lacking and childish, Sakamoto-kun.” said Minato slightly apologetically to Ryuji (who scowled at him now) before he fell silent and they overheard what the other students are talking about.

“Did Kamoshida-sensei do something wrong………?” asked a shy female student.

“Does this mean the rumors are true!?” said another female student excitedly.

“Wait a sec……… Is someone gonna take something from Kamoshida-sensei………?” asked a disheveled male student.

“What’s with this weird logo? And who’re these “Phantom Thieves of Hearts” people………?” asked another male student.

“………Well, it certainly got everyone excited.” said Akira as he smiled a little approvingly at Ryuji (who tapped his feet and fidgeted a little at the students comments) before they saw Kamoshida approaching the bulletin boards with an angry look on his face.

“ _And here comes the man of the hour._ ” thought Minato to himself with a smirk on his face.

“Who’s responsible for this………!?” demanded Kamoshida as he glared at the students standing near the bulletin boards.

“………Look at that. A predictable reaction for someone who knows what we meant by distorted desires.” said Morgana delightfully to them.

“I think it’s hittin’ him pretty hard.” said Ryuji as he smiled quite widely to them.

“Sure looks like it, Sakamoto-kun.” said Akira as he nodded to Ryuji.

“Did you do this!? Or was it you!?” yell Kamoshida loudly and angrily to the students (which frighten them before they quickly run away in fear from Kamoshida) before he noticed them standing nearby and he turned and approach them. “………Was it you three!?” demanded Kamoshida as he glared at Akira, Ryuji and Minato.

“Huh? What are you talking about, Kamoshida-sensei? You seriously think that we’re the ones who did it? We just got here, isn’t that right, Sakamoto-kun, Takamaki-san and Arisato-kun?” said Akira innocently to Kamoshida as he glance in feign confusion at Ryuji, Ann and Minato (who nodded in unison to him).

“………Hmph. So you all are playing dumb?” said Kamoshida threateningly to them.

“Who knows?” said Akira as he shrugged his shoulders at him.

“Eh, it doesn’t matter. You three will be expelled soon enough anyway, including that Okumura brat. I’ll make sure of it and this time, Kanakubo-sensei isn’t here to help you delinquents out.” said Kamoshida even more threateningly to them before they suddenly felt and saw the atmosphere around started to fizzed up, turned purple then black then they saw Kamoshida change to the shadow version of himself.

“Come……… Steal it, if you all can!” said shadow Kamoshida in a goading tone of voice to them before the atmosphere change back to normal and Kamoshida turned and walked away from them.

“Did you guys saw that?” said Minato to them.

“Yeah, we all did, Arisato-kun.” said Akira as he nodded to Minato.

“Judging from Kamoshida’s response……… I’m sure we had an effect on his Palace now!” said Morgana.

“Does that mean the Treasure’s appeared!? We’ll be able to get it today, right?” asked Ann.

“It’s not just “today”. It’s ONLY today. The impact of seeing a calling card doesn’t last long, and it cannot be repeated. This will be our one chance to steal the Treasure.” replied Morgana.

“One day’s more than enough for us!” said Ryuji excitedly to Morgana.

“Well then, let’s get to it once school’s end for the day, everyone!” said Akira determinedly to Ryuji, Ann, Morgana and Minato before they turned and head to their classrooms and waited for school to end.

XXXX

**A few hours later, in front of Kamoshida’s Palace………**

When Joker activated the app and entered the castle of Kamoshida with Skull, Panther, Mona and Seraph, they instantly saw and felt the air around them pulsed strongly and angrily with red energy. They then teleport straight into the safe room outside the throne room, leave the safe room, went through the opened doors into the throne room and they saw with surprise and confused looks on their faces that Kamoshida’s shadow and his knight shadows weren’t in the room.

“What the hell’s goin’ on here? The door’s just sittin’ open, and there aren’t any soldiers around………” said Skull as he look around the room suspiciously.

“This place is probably undermanned now that they all got assigned elsewhere.” explained Mona to Skull. “Either way, we win as long as we steal the Treasure! Let’s get going!” added Mona firmly to them.

Joker, Skull, Panther and Seraph nodded to Mona before they run across the throne room, run up the stairs toward the treasure room and Joker opened it and they went into the room and saw that the floating transparent cloudy thing had change into a large shining red and golden crown.

“Aww yeeeeaaaaaaaah! The Treasure has materialized!” cheered Mona as he jumped quite exuberantly.

“Man, it’s huge!” said Skull as he glance at the crown with an incredulous look on his face.

“No kidding. So his treasure is a huge crown, huh?” said Seraph as he nodded in agreement to Skull without looking away from the crown. “But how are we going to steal such a huge crown out of here?” added Seraph.

“We’ll think of something, Seraph.” said Joker.

“What do you all think!? It’s just as I said! Now we can steal it! Ahh……… this shine brings tears to my eyes………” purred Mona happily and smugly to them.

“……… It kinda pisses me off.” said Panther as she crossed her arms and scowled at the crown. “Why’s it so pretty………? Isn’t this Kamoshida’s desires?”

“T-Treasure………” purred Mona as he glance dreamily at the crown (which make Joker, Skull, Panther and Seraph glance at Mona with confused looks on their faces).

“Uh, guys. The cat’s actin’ awfully excited………” said Skull as he scratch the back of his head.

“What’s wrong? Is something………?” asked Panther to Mona before she got cut off when Mona suddenly jumped onto the crown and began rubbing himself against the crown (which surprises all of them when they saw what Mona just did in front of them).

“Meeeeeooooow! Mrrrrroooooow!” purred Mona in ecstasy while oblivious to them.

“What the hell’s wrong with him?” said Seraph.

“We don’t know what’s wrong with him, Seraph. And Mona, that’s not catnip so stop being excited and rubbed yourself against it.” said Joker in a deadpan tone of voice to Mona.

“………Meow, meow! Mewwwww!” mewled Mona even more as he briefly glance at Joker and ignored his words.

“All right, you heard him so that’s enough, you stupid cat!” snapped Skull in slight frustration at Mona, which succeeded in snapping him out of his ecstasy mood before he jumped down from the crown and lowered his head in embarrassment.

“Oh, um, yeah……… Forgive me for displaying such an insolent sight in front of a lady………” said Mona apologetically to Panther.

“You were completely out of character too. What was that about?” asked Panther.

“I couldn’t stop it either……… To think I’d be drawn to human desires this much………” said Mona as he shake his head before he perked up. “Doesn’t that prove that I’m human!?” added Mona quite happily to them.

“How should we know!?” said Skull in a disbelief tone of voice to Mona.

“It’s hard to say, Mona.” said Seraph as he shake his head a little.

“A-Anyway, you guys need to carry it!” said Mona as he raised and pointed his paw at the crown.

“All you do is bark orders………” said Skull before he grinned widely. “Still, that was easier than I thought! I thought for sure that there’d be some insane trap or something.”

“Don’t jinx it, Skull.” said Joker as he scowled at Skull.

“His Palace will disappear if we take this back, right? And Kamoshida will change to………” said Panther as she and Skull approach the crown.

“……… That should be the case.” said Mona as both Joker and Seraph approach the crown too.

“Good. Now’s our chance then.” said Skull as he raised and rolled his arms a little before he, Panther, Joker and Seraph grabbed hold of the edge of the crown.

“It’s heavy………!” said Panther as she winced a little due to the heavy weight of the crown.

“We know, Panther. But we gotta keep moving.” said Joker as he winced a little as well.

“To think it’d go so well……… I’ve even found four Persona users in the process……… My judgement was correct. I made the right choice in making a deal with you! Nyahaha!” said Mona as he glance and jumped enthusiastically to Joker (who felt his bond with Mona go up to level two).

“ _Looks like his bond with Mona got a bit closer, which means his Magician Arcana went up one level._ ” Thought Seraph as he felt Joker’s bond with Mona go up to level two.

As Joker, Skull, Panther and Seraph slowly make their way out of the treasure room and back into the throne room while carrying the crown and with Mona following closely to them, they suddenly heard not-Ann’s voice cheering out to someone.

“Go, go! Let’s go! Ka-mo-shida!” cheered not-Ann to shadow Kamoshida before shadow Kamoshida jumped and spiked two volleyballs toward the crown that they’re carrying and Seraph quickly let go of the crown, pull out and raised his sword to knock the first volleyball away from them while the other volleyball struck and knock the crown out of their hands and it roll away from them.

“Uwa-!” yelped Skull in surprise.

After Shadow Kamoshida knock the crown out of their hands, he then sailed majestically over their heads, landed smoothly on his feet in front of his throne before he stood up and hold out his hand toward his rolling crown. The crown then shrunk and appear in his outstretched hand as not-Ann run up and hugged him enthusiastically before she glance and smirked at Joker, Skull, Panther, Mona and Seraph.

“I won’t let anyone take this!” said shadow Kamoshida as he glared at them while tossing the crown up and down in his hand. “This proves that I’m the king of this castle-it is the core of this world!”

“That rat bastard……… That’s how he sees me, isn’t it!?” snarled Panther as she glared darkly at shadow Kamoshida and her copy.

“Yeah, you’re right about that, Panther. And what’s worse, you’re not the only one that he sees as shameless bikini girls.” said Joker sadly to Panther before he glared at shadow Kamoshida.

“Yo, pervert. Were you waitin’ to ambush us?” greeted Skull in a taunting tone of voice to shadow Kamoshida.

“Yeah, right. I just made it easier to find you all. I’ll dispose of you all myself. Right here, right now.” said shadow Kamoshida flippantly to them.

“That’s our line, you abusive and sexually-harassin’ D-bag!” retorted Skull angrily at shadow Kamoshida.

“What a selfish misunderstanding………” said shadow Kamoshida as he shake his head at Skull.

“How is it a misunderstanding!? You were doing things that you kept in secret from others!” snapped Panther.

“The people around me were the ones who kept it secret.” corrected shadow Kamoshida as he smirked at Panther. “Adults who want to share in my accomplishments, students who have the drive to become winners……… They willingly protect me so that we all may profit from it.”

“Profit!?” said Skull with a shock look on his face.

“Yeah right, you lying bastard. More like you blackmail, threaten, hurt and abused them so that they’ll help and protect you because they feared you.” snapped Seraph angrily at shadow Kamoshida.

“So what!? There are too many imbeciles who don’t understand that! Including naïve delinquents like you all and that stupid girl who tried to kill herself!” sneered shadow Kamoshida.

“True, she’s a total idiot……… letting you manipulate her, trying to commit suicide………” said Panther as she lowered her head to look sadly down on the floor while clenching her hands into fists. “And I’m even more of a dumbass for not realizing that………! But no matter what kind of fool someone might be……… They don’t need your permission to live their lives!” added Panther firmly to shadow Kamoshida.

“Drop the attitude, you mediocre peasant! There’s no wrong in using my gifts for my gain!” said shadow Kamoshida as he scowled darkly at them. “I’m a cut above all other humans!”

“Above………? You mean beneath. You’re a goddamn demon obsessed with your sick desires!” said Panther angrily at shadow Kamoshida (which make him started chuckling darkly while a bright red aura appear and began enveloping him and not-Ann).

“That’s right, I’m not like you all………” said shadow Kamoshida as he spread his arms out before he grabbed and pull not-Ann close to him. “I’m a demon who rules this world!” added shadow Kamoshida gleefully to them before the red aura around him and not-Ann turned black, covered them up and merged them together before shadow Kamoshida began growing larger while large drops of slimy saliva oozes out of his gaping mouth.

“Wh-What the hell………!?” sputtered Skull as he and the others stared in shock and disgust at shadow Kamoshida’s transformation (which turns out to be a large pink-skinned, four-arms, long purple tongue, yellow-eyed, horned demon wearing the crown on his head, holding a knife, fork, whip and a cup of red wine with not-Ann swimming motionlessly inside in his hands while a golden trophy stand in front of him with dozens of lower female body parts sticking out of it).

“Dammit, just when you thought he couldn’t get even more dirty and disgusting……….” said Seraph with a disgusted look on his face at shadow Kamoshida’s new form.

“Hahaha! Gyahaha!” laughed shadow Kamoshida quite distortedly to them. “I’m allowed to do whatever the hell I want!”

“No, you’re wrong, you goddamn lust-obsessed demon. We’ll take you down and finish this.” said Joker angrily and determinedly to Kamoshida (who roared in anger at him).

“You goddamn, no good, shitty brats! Haven’t you all being taught not to point at people!? Huh!?” yell shadow Kamoshida angrily at them.

“Look, the Treasure’s over there!” said Mona as he raised and pointed his paw at the crown on shadow Kamoshida’s head. “We should catch him off guard and steal it! Let’s attack him and wait for that opportunity!”

“Right, Mona! Come, Arsene, Eiha!” yell Joker.

“Zorro, Garu!” yell Mona.

“Orpheus, Bash!” yell Seraph.

“Captain Kidd, Zio!” yell Skull.

“Carmen, Agi!” yell Panther.

After they summoned forth their personas and uses their different magic skills to attack and struck shadow Kamoshida, shadow Kamoshida snarled and retaliate by swinging his knife swiftly at them and managed to dealt light cuts on their stomachs before they could dodged away. They groaned a little from the injuries before Mona and Panther casts Dia on their stomach wounds and healed them. Both Joker and Skull then charge forward and uses their weapons and guns to attack and open fire at shadow Kamoshida while Mona, Panther and Seraph stay back and uses Garu, Agi and Bash skills on him.

“Nnnnngh! I need healin’!” said shadow Kamoshida in a pained tone of voice to himself before he uses his fork to stabbed one of the lower female body part inside the trophy, bring it to his mouth and he ate and swallow it and caused his wounds to healed up. “That’s better! Now come at me, you pieces of shit! I ain’t letting’ you sleep tonight!” said shadow Kamoshida smugly to them.

“He healed himself………? Is it because he ate those inside there………?” said Mona as he glance incredulously at the trophy in front of him.

“In that case, we should attack and get rid of that trophy first before we attack Kamoshida.” said Joker coolly to his teammates (who nodded to him) before they run toward the trophy and began attacking it.

“Hey!” gasped shadow Kamoshida before he raised and swung his fork and knife at them to prevent them from attacking the trophy and they quickly dodged away or jumped backward from his fork and knife. “You don’t know what this is worth, so stop touching it! Don’t do it anymore, got it? I’ve warned you!” yell shadow Kamoshida angrily at them.

“When someone tells us not to do something, it makes us want to do it even more!” said Mona with a smirk on his face.

“In that case, Mona, Panther, you two distract him while Seraph, Skull and I destroy that trophy!” Joker ordered them as he smirk at shadow Kamoshida.

Skull, Mona, Panther and Seraph nodded to him and both Mona and Panther distracted shadow Kamoshida by attacking him with their weapons and dodging his attacks while Joker, Skull and Seraph run toward the trophy and attack it relentlessly with their personas until they managed to destroy it and it dissipated away into black mists.

“………Ack! No way……… This was from when I won the national………” yell shadow Kamoshida as he flinch and slumped down in a dejected manner.

“All right! Well done, Joker, Skull and Seraph!” said Mona proudly to them before they surrounded shadow Kamoshida, raised and pointed their guns at him.

“You think that you can get away with doing such a thing? Do you realize who I am!?……… I am Kamoshida! Don’t you get it!?” yell shadow Kamoshida as he glared at them.

“So what?” said Joker mockingly to shadow Kamoshida.

“Huh? Like I keep saying! I am Kamoshida! I’m the king!” argued shadow Kamoshida.

“Yeah, right. You’re no king, Kamoshida. You’re just a sickening and disgusting man.” said Seraph in disgust at shadow Kamoshida.

“You look down on everyone……… but you’re seriously lame right now.” said Skull.

“We came all this way to steal that! Will you just give it up and hand it over?” said Panther firmly to shadow Kamoshida.

“Silence! I won’t let the likes of you have this!” growled shadow Kamoshida.

“You still have the energy to say things like that!? Then we’re going to up our game as well!” said Mona sternly to shadow Kamoshida before he, Joker, Skull, Panther and Seraph jumped and uses the all-out attack on shadow Kamoshida, attacking him relentlessly from all sides, making him yell out in pain from their attacks and managed to partially injured him.

“I’m the king………! If I’m not, then who is!?” said shadow Kamoshida to himself.

“We won’t get anywhere with brute force……… What do we do, Joker?” asked Mona as he glance at Joker.

“Let’s go for the crown.” replied Joker.

“Great idea, Joker.” said Seraph as he nodded to Joker.

“I see……… In that case, time for Plan B! Look over at that terrace!” said Mona as he pointed his paw at the terrace on shadow Kamoshida’s left. “While the others are drawing Kamoshida’s attention, have someone go there! Let’s steal the Treasure without him noticing!” added Mona to Joker.

“Right. Seraph, go up there and get the Treasure!” Joker ordered Seraph.

“Understood, Joker!” said Seraph as he nodded to Joker before he turned and moved away from the others toward a nearby pillar while Joker, Skull, Mona and Panther distracted shadow Kamoshida from noticing Seraph’s absence by summoning forth their personas and uses Eiha, Zio, Garu and Tarunda skills on him.

Shadow Kamoshida retaliate by swinging his fork and knife at them (which they dodged away) before he raised his wine glass to drank the red liquid and violated not-Ann with his tongue (to boost up his attack and defense) before he spit her back into the glass.

Panther is furious when she saw the way shadow Kamoshida violated the fake copy of her with his tongue and she raised her gun to fired a barrage of bullets at the wine glass that shadow Kamoshida is holding until the glass shatter to pieces, caused the red liquid and not-Ann to fall to the floor before Panther summoned forth Carmen, uses Agi skill to burned not-Ann into black mists, which make shadow Kamoshida glared at her as one of his hands rushed forward to grab hold of her but she quickly move away from his hand before he could grab her.

“Now, listen up, you delinquents! This school exists because I’m around. You’re the only ones who don’t respect me, you know!” said shadow Kamoshida as he glared at them. “You’re misunderstanding it all! I haven’t sexually harassed anyone! They came on to me because they wanted to get on my good side!”

“Hmph, yeah right! Every word you’re saying to us about them coming up to you to get on your good side and the school exist because of you now is nothing but lies!” scoffed Joker as he switch persona, summoned forth Silky and uses Garu skill on him (which make shadow Kamoshida let out a groan of pain before he finally noticed that one of Joker’s teammates is gone).

“Is there one less of you? I knew it! One of your band of thieves is missing! Where’d he go off to!?” demanded shadow Kamoshida as he started to look around for Seraph while not lessening his attacks on Joker, Skull, Panther and Mona.

“Heh, took you long enough. But it’s a little too late for you now. Now, Seraph!” said Joker mockingly to shadow Kamoshida before he yell out to Seraph, giving him the signal to take the crown from shadow Kamoshida.

“Got it, Joker! Here I come!” said Seraph to Joker before he jumped from the platform toward the crown on shadow Kamoshida’s head, struck and knock the crown down from his head with his weapon before he landed safely with Joker and the others while the crown rolled away from them and shadow Kamoshida (who dropped his fork and knife as his four arms flailed desperately around for his missing crown).

“Nooo! My……… My precious………!” yell shadow Kamoshida in despair before he slumped down in yet another dejected manner.

“Good, Kamoshida’s shaken up!” said Mona with a wide grin on his face.

“I think we can do this………!” said Panther with a hopeful smile on her face as she raised and pointed her gun at shadow Kamoshida.

“Let’s finish this, everyone!” said Joker to his teammates before they jumped and uses all-out attack on him for the second time, attacking him relentlessly from all sides before they landed on the floor, summoned forth their personas and uses Eiha, Zio, Garu, Agi skills on him until they defeated him.

Shadow Kamoshida let out a final yell of pain as black mists started to appear out of his body before he fell face-down on the floor and move no more (before Joker received 8000 yen from him and he and his teammates level up some more and learn new skills).


	25. Chapter 25

**Inside Kamoshida’s Palace………**

After Joker Skull, Panther, Mona and Seraph defeated shadow Kamoshida and he slowly shrunk from his large form back to his normal form while his large crown also shrunk back to normal, Skull then make his way toward the crown but before he could take it, shadow Kamoshida suddenly got up, rushed forward and grab hold of his crown before he turned and run away from them toward the open balcony.

“Ah!” said Skull in surprise.

“Why you! Stop running!” snapped Joker as he and his teammates run after shadow Kamoshida and cornered him on the balcony.

“Nngh………” gulped shadow Kamoshida as he frantically look and walked around the balcony for any other way to escape from Joker and his teammates and found none.

“What’s wrong? Not running away?” said Panther mockingly to shadow Kamoshida. “Why don’t you run………? Aren’t you a great athlete?”

“It’s always been like this……… all those goddamn hyenas forcing their expectations on me………!” said shadow Kamoshida as he turned around and glared at them. “I’m doing this all for them! What’s wrong about demanding a reward for that!?”

“Now you’re making excuses………?” scoffed Skull as he shake his head in mock-pity at shadow Kamoshida. “We’ll do something about that distorted heart of yours.”

“That’s right. No more excuses and running for a bastard like you.” said Seraph in a cold and agreeing tone of voice to Skull.

“Hrrgh………” grunted shadow Kamoshida in frustration.

“Scared? Right now, you’re seeing the same view that Shiho did.” said Panther as she briefly flipped her blonde hair before she take a few steps closer to shadow Kamoshida. “I’m sure she was scared too……… except she had no choice but to jump……… What will you do? Will you jump?……… Or would you rather died here?” said Panther coldly to shadow Kamoshida as she stop walking, take off her mask, summoned forth Carmen before Carmen raised her hands to conjure 2 balls of flames on it (which make shadow Kamoshida took a step back in fear as he hold his crown close to him).

“Do you want to finish him off? It’s your call, Panther.” said Mona as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“No, please wait! I beg you……… just forgive meeee!” pleaded shadow Kamoshida.

“Shut up. I bet everyone told you the same. But you……… you took everything from them!” snapped Panther as she glared hatefully at shadow Kamoshida before Carmen threw a fireball at shadow Kamoshida, who scream and covered himself from the incoming fireball but the fireball swerved at the last minute and struck the awning wall next to him, charring it while shadow Kamoshida briefly and fearfully glance at the charred wall before he glance at them and slowly got on his knees on the floor.

“I accept defeat……… You want this? Take it.” said shadow Kamoshida as he bowed in fear and defeat to them before he raised and threw the crown toward Joker, who reached out and caught it securely in his hands. “Go ahead and finish me off……… You do that……… and my real self will go down too………” added shadow Kamoshida to them (which make both Skull and Seraph scratch their heads uncomfortably while Joker and Mona glance in cold silence at him). “You have that right since you’ve won………”

Panther let out a sharp exhale, clench her right hand into a fist as she kept on glaring hatefully at shadow Kamoshida before she raised her left hand, silently ordering Carmen to threw the other fireball in her hand toward shadow Kamoshida (which make both Joker and Skull yell out in surprise to her) but like the previous fireball, it swerve and struck the floor next to shadow Kamoshida, leaving it charred as well before shadow Kamoshida slowly glance up at Panther with a surprise look on his face.

“If his mind shuts down, he can’t admit his crimes.” said Panther resolutely as her mask appear back on her face.

“You’re kind, Lady Ann………” said Mona as he scratch his cheek a little.

“ _I don’t think so, Mona._ ” thought Seraph silently in his mind.

“I’ve lost.” said shadow Kamoshida in a despair tone of voice as he look down while tears glisten and fell from his eyes. “You’re through when you lose……… What am I- What am I supposed to do now………?” asked shadow Kamoshida hesitantly to them.

“Atone for each of your sins.” replied Joker coldly to shadow Kamoshida.

“All right……… I will leave now and return to my real self………” said shadow Kamoshida as he slowly look up at them with a small, sad smile on his face while his body started to glow brightly. “I’ll make certain that I-” added shadow Kamoshida before he vanished from their sights.

Soon after shadow Kamoshida vanished from their sights, Joker and his teammates suddenly felt and saw with shock looks on their faces as the entire castle around them began to rumble quite violently.

“Hey, just so you all know, we don’t have time to waste. This place is about to collapse!” said Mona coolly to them.

“Wait, what!? Why didn’t you tell us earlier!?” demanded Skull as he glared at Mona.

“I’m telling you all now.” said Mona as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Let’s run for it, everyone! Hurry!” yell Joker before he and his teammates turned and run like bats out of hell down the hallways of the crumbling castle while avoiding the ceiling and wall debris that fell around them.

“We’re gonna die! We’re gonna die!” yell Panther as she look behind her at the fallen debris of the ceiling and wall before she look forward, felt something landed onto her head and when she look up to see what is it, she saw that it’s Mona (who’s now in cat form). “Hey, what the!?” said Panther in surprise to Mona before Mona jumped from her head onto Skull and Seraph’s heads until he landed on Joker’s shoulder.

“No fair, you jerk!” complained Skull as he glared at Mona standing on Joker’s shoulder.

“Mrooow!” said Mona as he look back at them with an innocent yet smug look on his face. Both Skull and Panther kept on scowling at Mona as they kept on running down the hallway before Skull winced in pain and glance down at his right leg before he suddenly fell to the floor with a yelp (which make Joker, Mona, Panther and Seraph stopped and glance at him with worry looks on their faces).

“Ryuji!” said both Panther and Seraph worriedly to him.

“Heh……… It’s been a while, so I just tripped, is all!” said Skull reassuringly to them.

“Come on, let me help you up, Skull!” said Seraph as he approach, grab hold of Skull’s arm and helped lifted him up from the floor before they quickly resumed running down the hallway until they saw the exit in front of them, run through it and got transported out of Kamoshida’s Palace.

XXXX

**Inside the alleyway opposite the school………**

Akira, Ryuji, Ann and Minato gasped, panted and leaned their bodies against the wall in exhaustion while Morgana sits nearby and glance silently up at them after they got out of Kamoshida’s Palace.

“That sucked………” said Ann as she winced a little while taking several deep breaths.

“No kidding, Takamaki-san. But at least we’re all out of that place……… Are you guys alright?” asked Minato as he glance at them.

“Yeah, we’re all fine and alive but exhausted, Arisato-kun.” replied Akira in a tired and reassuring tone of voice to Minato while Ryuji pull out his phone to check the app before a surprise look appear on his face.

“Hey, guys! Look at the nav!” said Ryuji to them before they pull out their phones to look and saw that they can’t go to Kamoshida’s Palace anymore.

“ _The destination has been deleted._ ” said the robotic female voice from the Metaverse Navigator.

“………It’s true. We can’t go there anymore.” said Ann.

“What about the Treasure!?” said Morgana as he glance anxiously at Akira, who take out a golden medal from inside his blazer pocket and show it to them.

“What the………?” said Ryuji as he glance in confusion at the medal in Akira’s hand.

“………A medal? Wait, where’d the crown go?” asked Ann.

“What’s goin’ on………?” asked Ryuji as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"It means, that was the source of Kamoshida’s desires. To him, this medal is worth as much as that crown we saw in the Palace.” explained Morgana in a pensive tone of voice to them.

“I see. An Olympic medal, huh?” said Minato.

“So that perv kept clingin’ to his past glory and couldn’t let it go………” said Ryuji as he glance at the medal with an uncomfortable look on his face.

“But……… this means that Kamoshida’s heart might have change, right?” said Ann hesitantly.

“………Probably.” said Morgana.

“Our expulsion’s on the line here!” said Ryuji worriedly at Morgana.

“This is the first successful example for me too.” said Morgana weakly to Ryuji. “However, there’s no doubt that this has affected Kamoshida’s personality quite a lot. The entire Palace disappeared, after all.”

“Ugh, I feel all antsy! Ain’t there a way to check now?” said Ryuji frustratedly to them.

“Just be patient, Ryuji-kun. We’ll know soon enough if what we did affected Kamoshida’s heart or not.” said Akira calmly to Ryuji.

“He’s right, you two.” said Minato in agreement with Akira.

“Right………” said Ann gloomily to them.

“Come on, why the gloomy faces? Be happy or at least by calm like Akira and Minato!” said Morgana as he scowled at both Ryuji and Ann for being anxious and gloomy. “We completed this with great success, you know.”

“We just don’t know if everything’s OK yet………” said Ryuji.

“I’m pretty sure it’ll be fine. Remember how Kamoshida’s shadow said that he’s returning to his self in reality?” Morgana reminded them. “Suguru Kamoshida was a scum. Still……… he did seem to regain his conscience somewhat at the end.”

“It would seemed so, Morgana.” said Akira as he nodded to Morgana.

“There are definitely those who have been saved thanks to what you all have done.” said Morgana as he smiled at them.

“Yeah………” said Ann in agreement to Morgana.

“Anyways, I guess we gotta wait.” said Ryuji as he crossed his arms again. “It all boils down to what’s gonna happen to Kamoshida……… or if we’re getting expelled for real………”

“Yeah. For now, let’s all go home and be patient about it.” said Akira.

“………Right. C’mon, let’s go home.” said Ryuji before he, Akira (who picked Morgana up and put him in his bag), Ann and Minato walked out of the alleyway and toward the subway station before they got into the train and head home.

XXXX

**A few minutes later, in Niijima’s apartment home………**

“Welcome back, Minato-kun. Hm, why are you smiling about? Did something good happen to you today in Shujin?” asked Makoto in confusion to Minato when she saw him smiling.

“Yeah, I guess you can say that, Makoto-san. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going to my room because I’m feeling tired.” replied Minato as he gave a small nod to Makoto.

“I see. Good night then, Minato-kun.” said Makoto.

“Good night, Makoto-san.” said Minato as he walked past her toward his room, went in and after he put his bag down on the desk then sat on his bed, he heard his phone started ringing and when he take it out to see the caller ID, he saw that it’s Yukari with a happy smile on his face and he answer it.

“Hello, Yukari. What is it?” said Minato.

“ _Hello, Minato. I wanted to ask you on whether you’re free tomorrow because I wanted to……… spend time with you._ ” asked Yukari hesitantly to Minato.

“Is that so, Yukari? I think I’ve some free time tomorrow so I’ll be able to spend some time with you too.” replied Minato happily to Yukari.

“ _Really? I’m glad to hear that and I’ll see you tomorrow in the Station Square in Shibuya then, Minato._ ” said Yukari happily to Minato.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow then, Yukari. Bye.” said Minato.

“ _Bye, Minato._ ” said Yukari before both she and Minato dismiss the calls to each other.

After Minato’s done talking to Yukari, he turned off and put his phone on the desk next to his bag, leave his room to take a bath then change into his pajamas before he went back to his room and fell asleep.

 


	26. Chapter 26

**The next day………**

“Good morning, Minato-kun and Makoto-san.” greeted Hanzo as he and Haru saw Minato walking with Makoto (who glance and smiled at them) in front of them and they approach and walked beside them.

“Good morning to you both as well.” greeted Makoto while Minato nodded to them.

“I wonder how’s Kanakubo-sensei condition is now and will he be well enough to come back to resume his job as a teacher?” said Haru concernly to Minato, Makoto and Hanzo.

“Don’t worry, Haru-san. I’m sure that he’ll recover soon and come back to Shujin.” said Minato as he raised and placed his hand on her shoulder to reassured her.

“He’s right so believe that Kanakubo-sensei will recover and come back, Haru. Same goes for Suzui-san too.” said Hanzo in agreement with Minato to Haru (who smiled and nodded gratefully to her brother and Minato) as well before they arrived, went up the steps and into Shujin Academy.

XXXX

**An hour later, in another class………**

“I was reading the essays that all of you turned in the other day, and everyone’s writing is so sloppy! 'I could care less’ indicates that you still have some cares left to give! It’s 'I COULDN’T care less' is the accurate one!” said Kawakami-sensei sternly to the students before she corrected them on a part of their essays while Akira is listening attentively and diligently writing down Kawakami-sensei’s teaching in his notebook.

“I’ve seen this a lot these days, where people are using a phrase differently from its real meaning. One word I often hear misused is the phrase, “kakushinhan”, used now to mean a crime done in cold blood. Like the word “literally,” the real meaning of kakushinhan is pretty much the opposite of how it’s used.” Kawakami-sensei resumed telling the students about it before she trailed off and look around at the students until her eyes landed on Akira. “Do you know what the true meaning of “kakushinkan” is, Kurusu-kun?” Kawakami-sensei called out to Akira and he glance at her and try to think about the true meaning of kakushinkan.

“The true meaning of kakushinhan, huh……… This seems tough.” whisper Morgana as he subtly poke his head out of Akira’s desk and glance up at him. “I’ll help you out, so let’s think this through carefully. What’s the common usage of kakushinhan again, regarding an action you take?” asked Morgana.

“Knowing your actions are wrong.” replied Akira quietly to him.

“Right.” said Morgana as he nodded at Akira. “When people say something’s a kakushinhan, they usually mean the culprit did it knowing it was wrong. But the real kakushinhan is the opposite, right? So, the opposite means………”

“Well, what does it mean, Kurusu-kun?” asked Kawakami-sensei again at Akira.

“Conviction that you’re right.” replied Akira.

“That’s right.” said Kawakami-sensei as she clapped her hands approvingly at Akira before she explained further to the students. “A kakushinhan is when someone takes an action, believing that it’s right. So if someone 'raised their hand against another in ‘kakushinhan’, they thought it was right to do so.”

“He’s pretty smart!” said a short, brown-haired female student.

“I didn’t expect that.” said a long, black-haired female student.

"He might not be too bad………” said a short, black-haired male student.

“You’re on a roll today, Akira!” said Morgana proudly to Akira, who smiled back at him as he rubbed the back of his neck a little.

“Kakushinhan was originally a term that referred to a crime driven by moral or political conviction. These days it seems like the wrong usage is becoming more commonly accepted though.” said Kawakami-sensei to the students.

“Taking action with a conviction that what you’re doing is right, huh……… Think that applies to us too?” said Morgana as he glance up at Akira again.

“I think so, Morgana.” said Akira before he (and Morgana) fell silent and resumed listening to Kawakami-sensei’s teaching.

XXXX

**A few hours later, lunchtime………**

When it’s time for lunch, Minato, Akira, Morgana, Ann and Ryuji left their class, went to the cafeteria to purchase, ate and drank some food and soft drinks before they gather and meet up near the lockers opposite the staircase on the second floor while ignoring the other students walking past, looking and whispering about them.

“Hey, Arisato-kun.” greeted both Akira and Ann in unison when they saw him.

“Hey back, you two. And there’s no need for you two to keep on calling me Arisato-kun, call me Minato instead and I’ll call you two by your first names.” said Minato after he greeted them both and they nodded to him.

“So, have any of you seen Kamoshida today?” asked Ryuji.

“I don’t think so, Sakamoto-kun.” replied Akira with a shake of his head.

“Nope, I didn’t.” said Minato.

“Me either, Ryuji.” said Ann.

“You guys really think he changed? That we really change his heart by taking his treasure?” asked Ryuji concernly to them.

“ _Of course his heart’s change because you and these new persona-users made sure of it so why is he still concern about it? What a wimp human._ ” said Pharos disapprovingly at Ryuji to Minato.

“ _Don’t be like that, Pharos. Being concern doesn’t mean that he’s a wimp. It just means that he’s cautious, that’s all._ ” said Minato coolly to Pharos.

“ _Whatever you say, Minato._ ” sighed Pharos.

“I hope so, Sakamoto-kun. We’ll just wait and see for now.” replied Akira before he and the others fell silent when they saw Kawakami-sensei approaching and stopping in front of them.

“Oh, there you students are and perfect timing.” said Kawakami-sensei in a relief tone of voice to them. “Study hall will be held instead of PE in the gym today. I’m letting you all know just in case you haven’t heard. Kamoshida-sensei has taken the day off.” Kawakami-sensei told them, which caused surprise looks to appear on their faces.

“What? He ain’t here………?” said Ryuji.

“Don’t tell anyone that you heard this from me……… But we just received word that Kamoshida-sensei is placing himself under suspension.” whisper Kawakami-sensei as she crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s such an important time before the tournament too……… Principal Kobayakawa went to his house to talk to him about it, but he supposedly wasn’t making any sense………” added Kawakami-sensei before she trailed off into silence.

“Wait, a suspension!?” yell Ryuji in shock at Kawakami-sensei.

“Be quiet!” snapped Minato as he scowled at Ryuji for yelling out.

“Not so loud!” hissed Kawakami-sensei as she scowled at Ryuji too. “The talks about your expulsions may be put on hold too……… I don’t know too much about it though……… Anyway, I’ve relayed what’s going on to you all so I’ll be going now.” sighed Kawakami-sensei.

“Yeah and thanks for telling us about it, sensei.” said Akira thankfully to Kawakami-sensei, who nodded before she walked away then they glance at each other again.

“I can’t believe it………” said Ann, still finding it hard to believe at what Kawakami-sensei just told them.

“Looks like _something_ did happened to him……… At least it sounds different from a mental shutdown. I guess all we can do is wait………” said Ryuji as he crossed his arms and with a frown look on his face.

“We did all we can. Now we wait.” said Morgana as he glance down at them from the top of the locker and they glance up and nodded to him before they all heard the sound of the bell ringing, telling them that lunchtime is over and they split up and head back to their class.

XXXX

**Another few hours later, after school………**

“Ready to head home, Minato-kun?” asked Makoto as she approach and stopped near Minato, Hanzo and Haru.

“Uh, sorry but I’ll be heading home a bit late today because right now I’m going to see someone in Shibuya, Makoto-san.” replied Minato apologetically at Makoto (which surprise her).

“Huh? You’re going to see someone in Shibuya?” said Haru, surprise at Minato as well.

“Who are you going to see in Shibuya, huh, Minato-kun? Is it a secret friend or girlfriend that you haven’t told us?” said Hanzo suspiciously at Minato.

“Hanzo-kun, all I can tell you, Haru-san and Makoto-san about this person is that she’s someone very close to me so drop that suspicious tone of yours.” said Minato coolly to Hanzo as he pick up his bag, walked out of the classroom and out of Shujin toward the subway station and take the train to Shibuya.

Once Minato arrived in Shibuya station, got off the train and walked out of the station into the square, he look around at the walking large crowd for any signs of Yukari, soon saw her waving her arm to get his attention under a tree near the road and he make his way toward her with a happy smile on his face.

“Hey, Yukari. Did you waited long? If you did then I’m sorry for making you wait for me.” said Minato as he stopped in front of her.

“No, I just got here a few seconds before you did so there’s no need for you to apologize, Minato.” said Yukari softly and a bit shyly to Minato.

“Is that so? Alright then and uh, shall we start in spending time together by walking around and observe the sights of Shibuya, Yukari?” suggested Minato.

“That sounds like a good idea, Minato. Let’s go.” said Yukari as she nodded at Minato suggestion before they turned and spend the next few minutes walking around the Central Street of Shibuya, visited the flower shop, bookstore and the crepe store (where Yukari bought a strawberry and vanilla crepe while Minato bought a double chocolate crepe and ate them), went into the cinema to bought two tickets to watch a movie together after they finish their crepes for an hour and a half then they left the cinema, head to the station to take the train to Inokashira Park.

“Ah, today was quite fun and I really enjoy spending time with you, Minato.” said Yukari happily to Minato (who smiled at her) as they went into the park and stopped next to the lake.

“Yeah, so do I, Yukari.” said Minato in agreement with Yukari before he saw the happy look on her face disappear and got replaced with a sad and worry look instead. “What’s wrong, Yukari? Are you not feeling well?” asked Minato concernly to her.

“No, no, I’m fine. It’s just that, I’m afraid.” replied Yukari worriedly to Minato. “I’m afraid that what we did today isn’t real and is a dream and I would suddenly wake up into cold, harsh reality that you’re not around and still dead………” added Yukari fearfully to Minato (who sighed before he raised and placed his hands on her face to make her look at him).

“Hey, look at me, Yukari. I’m alive and I’m here and I’m not leaving you or my old friends again. Don’t let those fears overtake and weaken your mind, willpower and heart because I won’t let it, you hear me?” said Minato determinedly and reassuringly to Yukari.

“………Yes, I hear you, Minato. Thank you for saying those words to me and let me say something back to you. Some words that I’ve wanted to say to you for a long time.” said Yukari.

“Sure, let me hear what you want to say to me, Yukari.” said Minato as he nodded to Yukari.

"………I love you, Minato.” said Yukari, confessing her feelings for Minato (who gasped and widened his eyes in surprise and shock for a moment before he smiled happily at her).

“I love you too, Yukari.” said Minato, confessing his feelings back to Yukari, which make her smiled in joy before they embraced each other, had their first kiss together before they pull away, turned and left the park toward the station (while holding hands) before they split up and take different trains to head home.


	27. Chapter 27

**Several days later, inside a hospital room………**

Kyosuke groaned as he blearily open and close his eyes for a few times until they begin to clear, saw that he’s lying on a bed inside a hospital room before he slowly sat up, winced and hold his head as it started throbbing just as Mitsuyoshi came into the room, sat Kyosuke finally waking and sitting up on the bed and he quickly approach him with a concern look on his face.

“Kyosuke! Thank goodness that you finally woke up and how are you feeling now?” asked Mitsuyoshi concernly at Kyosuke.

“I’m fine, Mitsu nii-san, just feeling weak and thirsty after sleeping for……… How long have I stay here in this hospital, Mitsu nii-san?” asked Kyosuke as he glance at Mitsuyoshi, who poured and gave him a cup of water from the water bottle on the table next to the bed, which he take from Mitsuyoshi and drank the water with a thankful look on his face.

“Kyosuke, you’ve stay here for slightly more than 2 weeks since you got attack by someone. Do you still remember who it is that attack you?” asked Mitsuyoshi.

“………Yeah, I still remember who it is that attack me, Mitsu nii-san. It’s Suguru Kamoshida, the PE teacher and a goddamn abuser and molester of the poor male and female students of Shujin Academy.” replied Kyosuke in cold anger to Mitsuyoshi.

“Suguru Kamoshida is the one that attack you!? Why would he do that?” demanded Mitsuyoshi.

“Because I’ve concrete evidence of him admitting that he’s the one that forced himself on a poor girl named Shiho Suzui, who decided to kill herself by jumping off the school’s roof because she ashamed of herself. Not only that, he also threaten to expelled some male students, Minato Arisato and Hanzo Okumura from my class, Ryuji Sakamoto, Mishima Yuuki and the transfer student, Akira Kurusu from another class because they stood up to him about what happened to Suzui-san on my phone. I’m sure that he already took and destroy my phone to get rid of the evidence to protect himself, that bastard………” replied Kyosuke angrily to Mitsuyoshi before he winced as his head throb again.

“Is that so, Kyosuke? Thank you for telling me all of that. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be leaving now to head to Shujin Academy to arrest that goddamn Kamoshida bastard for his crimes. Now get some rest because you’re still hurt.” said Mitsuyoshi very calmly and coldly to Kyosuke (who gulped in worry and fear at Mitsuyoshi being calm and cold) as he stood up, turned and left Kyosuke’s room then the hospital toward his car, got in and turned it on before he drove away from the hospital toward Shujin Academy.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, inside the gym in Shujin Academy………**

After Akira, Ryuji, Ann, Minato, Makoto, Hanzo and Haru entered their different classrooms and put their bags down, they then followed the other students and teachers into the auditorium for the assembly and soon Akira and his friends began hearing the other students talking about the assembly, Shiho Suzui and the calling card.

“What’s with the sudden morning assembly………?” said a brown-haired female student.

“I bet it’s about that girl that jumped the other day.” said a gaudy female student.

“They don’t have to tell us not to commit suicide.” said the brown-haired female student.

“Or maybe it’s about those troublesome students that’s going to get expelled soon?” said a short black-haired male student.

“Really? Good riddance, I say.” said a short, brown-haired male student.

“There was that weird calling card too, so I guess the teachers are freaking out?” said the gaudy female student.

“ _Ugh, how insensitive and callous these students are. Talking about others like that without any care for what their feelings and what they go through. This is the world which I gave my life to become the Great Seal to seal Nyx away for?_ ” thought Minato in cold anger and disappointment when he heard the callous comments from the students while Hanzo felt angry and disappointed at them too.

“………” sighed Ann as she furrowed her brow slightly when she heard the callous comments spoken from the other students, which Akira noticed before he put his hand on Ann’s shoulder and give her a consoling smile. Ann glance, smiled and nodded slightly gratefully to Akira before they stood at attention when they saw Principal Kobayakawa walked onto the stage and stand in front of the podium (while the students fell silent).

“Let’s begin this school-wide morning assembly.” Principal Kobayakawa begin speaking into the microphone to the students. “As you all know, a tragic event took place the other day. Thankfully, we’ve been informed that she has pulled through, but it will take time until she recovers. Also, I’ve just received word from a doctor that Kanakubo-sensei has just woke up from unconsciousness. Everyone here has a bright future ahead. I implore that each of you to rethink the importance of life and-” Principal Kobayakawa continue telling them before the sound of the auditorium doors slamming open and close next to the students cut off his speech and causing Akira, Ryuji, Ann, Minato and all the students and teachers to see who is it and they saw with surprised looks on their faces that it’s Kamoshida-sensei (who’s now looking exhausted and skinny and had guilty, self-loathing and despair look on his face).

“ _Hmph. He look terrible, serves him right._ ” thought Minato smugly in his mind when he and the others saw the current state of Kamoshida-sensei.

“Kamoshida-sensei, what the-” said Principal Kobayakawa hesitantly to Kamoshida-sensei before he got cut off by him again.

“I……… have been reborn. That is why I will confess everything to you all………” said Kamoshida-sensei to all the students and teachers before he turned, make his way up toward the middle of the stage and turned to glance down at them.

“Huh………?” said Ann as she glance in surprise at Kamoshida-sensei sudden change of heart and about to confess what he did to them.

“I have repeatedly done things that were……… unbecoming of a teacher. Verbally abusing students……… physically abusing my team, and……… sexually harassing female students. I am the reason why Shiho Suzui tried to kill herself!” said Kamoshida-sensei guiltily to them before he fell to his knees and sobbed under the weight of his actions and sins.

“Sexual harassment………?”

“Verbal and physical abuse?”

“No way!”

“What!?”

“The rumors are true!?”

“Ugh, he is the worst!”

“I thought of this school as my own castle………” sobbed Kamoshida-sensei as he slowly look up at them. “There were even students that I sentenced to expulsion, simply because they pissed me off for daring to stand up to me……… I will, of course, rescind those……… I am truly sorry for putting innocent youths through such horrible acts………” added Kamoshida-sensei as he bowed his head in more guilt and sorrow. “I am an arrogant, shallow……… and shameful person. No, I’m worse than that……… I will take responsibility and kill myself for it………!” finished Kamoshida-sensei before he lowered and pressed his forehead on the stage floor.

“What!?”

“Did he just say that………!?”

“He’s going to kill himself!?”

“What a disgusting teacher!”

“Kamoshida-sensei! Please get off the stage for now!” pleaded Principal Kobayakawa after he rushed from the podium toward him while the teachers began to approach, told and ushered the students to leave the auditorium.

“Everyone, return to your classes!” yell one of the teachers to the talking students.

“I-” sobbed Kamoshida-sensei.

“Don’t run, you bastard!” yell Ann quite loudly and angrily to Kamoshida-sensei as she glared at him, which make him raised his head to glance at her while the other students glance in shocked silence at her, except for Akira, Ryuji and Minato, who glance at her with small, proud smiles on their faces. “Shiho still alive even after all the things that made her want to die! You have no right to run from this!” added Ann even more angrily to him.

“You’re right……… You’re absolutely right………” sobbed Kamoshida-sensei as he slowly lifted himself up from the floor. “I should be punished under the law and atone for my crimes……… I did horrible things to Takamaki-san as well. In return for giving Suzui-san a position on the team……… I tried to force her into having relation with me. Also, I was the one who attack and make Kanakubo-sensei go to a hospital because he had concrete evidence of what I did to the students and I took and destroy his phone to get rid of the evidence.” admitted Kamoshida-sensei.

“Disgusting!”

“What a horrible man!”

“He did that to both Takamaki-san and Kanakubo-sensei!?”

“Ugh!”

“So the rumors are true.”

“As of today, I’ll resign from my position as an instructor and turn myself in. Someone, Anyone! Please call the police!” pleaded Kamoshida-sensei frantically to the students and teachers (who stood with uncomfortable and disgusted looks on their faces, not knowing what to do).

“There’s no need for any of you to call the police because I’m already here.” said Mitsuyoshi calmly to the students (who turned to glance in surprise at him) before he make his way toward the stage where Kamoshida and Principal Kobayakawa is, grab and pull Kamoshida harshly up to his feet before he take out and placed hand-cuffs on his wrists behind him.

“Suguru Kamoshida, you’re under arrest for abusing and molesting these students and attacking a teacher. But before we go to the police station, I’ve 2 things that I personally want to give you.” said Mitsuyoshi coldly to Kamoshida.

“Like what?” asked Kamoshida.

“THESE TWO THINGS!” snarled Mitsuyoshi as he raised his fist and punch Kamoshida hard on his face and stomach, which make him yell then groan in pain from Mitsuyoshi duo punches to his face and stomach before he dragged Kamoshida down the stage and out of the gym with him.

“Wow………” said Ryuji as he and Akira stared in surprise at Kamoshida-sensei’s complete change of heart and attitude and at Mitsuyoshi punching him twice and taking him away.

“Wow indeed, Sakamoto-kun. Not only that, his change of heart actually worked and we won’t be expelled now and now Ann is alright!” thought Akira in relief in his mind.

“This morning’s assembly is over! All of you return to your classrooms at once!” yell the same teacher to the students as he walked past both Akira and Ryuji (who began hearing what some of the students were saying).

“Isn’t this just like what the calling card said………?” said a concerned male student.

“Does this mean the Phantom Thieves thing was for real!?” said a casually-dressed male student.

“Was something done to Kamoshida!?” asked the concerned male student.

“C’mon, there’s no way you could steal someone’s heart!” replied the casually-dressed male student.

“But why else would he start saying things like he’ll kill himself or turn himself in?” asked the brown-haired female student.

“Maybe because it almost got leaked? Don’t they go easier on you if you turn yourself in?” replied the gaudy female student.

“I wonder what happened………” said the concerned male student.

“Who knows? But man, Kamoshida turned out to be one sick bastard.” said the casually-dressed male student.

“Did you guys see how that man punch and take Kamoshida away?” asked the long black-haired female student.

“Yeah, I did. He’s quite the badass guy.” replied the brown-haired female student to her friend.

“Return to your classrooms at once!” yell the teacher once again to the talking students before he and the other teachers began to ushered the reluctant students out of the auditorium and back to their classrooms except for Akira, Ryuji, Ann and Minato, who decided to stay behind together in the empty auditorium.

“His heart really did change………” said Ann in a surprise then relief tone of voice to them.

“Seems like it.” said Ryuji as he fidget a little before he glance at Akira. “But, was this really for the best?” asked Ryuji hesitantly to him.

“I’m sure it is, Sakamoto-kun.” replied Akira as he nodded to him.

“Yeah……… It’s gotta be. But things’re happenin’ way too fast………” said Ryuji.

“Yeah, no kidding, Ryuji.” said Minato as he nodded to Ryuji before he, Ryuji, Akira and Ann saw Mishima and 2 female students approaching them with surprise looks on their faces.

“Takamaki-san……… I’m sorry!” said Mishima as he bowed his head in apology to Ann.

“Huh………?” said Ann as she turned to glance in more surprise at Mishima.

“We all knew……… but we pretended we didn’t.” added Mishima sadly to her.

“Takamaki-san, I had you all wrong……… I’m sorry that I spread rumors about you!” said the tall female student apologetically to Ann.

“I didn’t know at all………” said the black-haired female student as she shook her head in apology to Ann as well. “Kamoshida was forcefully pushing himself on you……… It must’ve been so hard for you………!”

“I’m sure there’s a ton of people who want to apologize to you. We’re truly sorry………!” said the tall female student.

“No, it’s OK. The same goes for me too……… Besides, that’s all in the past now.” said Ann as she solemnly shook her head before she gave them a small smile.

“Hey, all of you! Return to class at once!” yell the teacher as he approach and frown at them all.

“W-Well, see you later then………” said the tall female student hesitantly to Ann before she and the black-haired student turned and walked away, same goes for the teacher while Mishima turned and bowed his head in apology to Akira, Ryuji and Minato.

“I can’t apologize enough for what I did to you three……… But I swear that I’ll make it up to you three someday.” said Mishima determinedly to them before he turned and walked away too.

“Looks like Kamoshida ain’t the only one that had a change of heart.” said Ryuji as he and Akira glance at the 2 female students and Mishima leaving with surprise looks on their faces.

“Well, I’m glad for you two, Ann. I hope that this incident of Kamoshida confessing his crimes will make the weird rumors of you two go away.” said Minato as he glance at them both.

“Maybe, maybe not, Arisato-kun.” said Akira.

“My thing doesn’t really matter. We made Kamoshida apologize about Shiho……… That’s more than enough for me.” said Ann as she shook her head a little.

“You should hurry and tell her the good news then.” said Ryuji as he smirked and crossed his arms.

“………Yeah.” said Ann as she nodded to Ryuji before they leave the auditorium and head back to their classrooms.


	28. Chapter 28

**A few hours later, after school………**

As Minato, Makoto, Hanzo, Haru and the rest of their classmates packed their bags after class ended for the day and after the auditorium scene of Kamoshida confessing his crimes before he got punch and taken away by Mitsuyoshi, they then stepped out of the class and Minato suddenly bumped against Ann.

“Oh, sorry for bumping into you.” said Minato apologetically to Ann.

“No, it’s fine. It’s my fault for not looking where I was going.” said Ann reassuringly to Minato. “Well then, I should hurry and………”

“See Suzui-san and tell her the good news, right?” said Minato, finishing her words. “If you don’t mind, may I go with you to see her too, Takamaki-san?”

“You want to come with me to see her? Why?” asked Ann in confusion at Minato.

“Don’t tell us that you’ve forgotten why, Takamaki-san. Didn’t Minato-kun try to stop Suzui-san from jumping from the school’s roof a few weeks ago?” said Hanzo as he scowled at Ann.

“Oh, you’re right and I forget about it. Sorry for that, Arisato-kun.” said Ann apologetically at Minato. “Come on, let’s go see her now.” added Ann as she smiled softly at Minato before they turned and left the school.

“I hope that Suzui-san will wake up once she heard the good news from them, Hanzo.” said Haru softly to Hanzo before a cold look appear on her face. “I can’t believe that Kamoshida-sensei would be this terrible. How could he do such cruel things to the students?”

“Because he’s a goddamn bastard, that’s why.” said Hanzo as he clench his fist in anger at the mention of Kamoshida (while Makoto look away with a sad and conflicted look on her face). “Come on, Haru. We should be going home now. See you, Niijima-san.” added Hanzo to both Makoto (who bade farewell to them too) and Haru before he, Haru and Makoto left the school and head home.

XXXX

**On the rooftop………**

After the class end for the day, Akira, Morgana (who’s inside Akira’s bag) and Ryuji received text messages from both Minato and Ann telling them to head up to the rooftop first without them since they’ll be going to the hospital to see Shiho and told her of the news of Kamoshida confessing his crimes and taken away by a detective named Mitsuyoshi and the 3 of them heeded their messages, make their way up to the rooftop and sat themselves down on the chairs there to begin their meeting.

“I totally freaked out……… He really did have a change of heart……… And we were lucky that his mind didn’t get messed up either! This was an A+ job!” said Ryuji quite loudly and happily to both Akira and Morgana.

“Ugh, what will it take for you to keep your voice down, Sakamoto-kun! What if some other students or teachers heard what you just said to us?” groaned Akira as he scowled at Ryuji.

“Akira’s right, Ryuji. Can you please try to speak not so loudly next time?” said Morgana in agreement with Akira.

“Eh, it’s fine, Kurusu, Morgana.” said Ryuji as he briefly wave his hand to dismiss their words (which make them both sighed and shake their heads at him).

“Does this means that they won’t have a mental shutdown even if their Palace disappears………?” said Morgana. “I see……… So we need to persuade the Shadow without killing it, and then sent it back to it’s real self. Our targets won’t undergo a cognitive collapse if we do that.”

“So we can get’em to confess with no bad stuff? Hey! That works for me!” said Ryuji excitedly to Morgana before the door to the roof opened and both Minato and Ann approach them.

“Do you have to be so loud?” said Ann as she scowled at Ryuji.

“That’s what I told him a few minutes ago, Arisato-kun, Takamaki-san.” said Akira.

“Yeah, we can see that you did try but he’ll just dismiss it.” said Minato.

“Don’t worry about it, you guys.” said Ryuji before he asked Ann a question. “So……… how’d it go, you two? With Shiho, I mean………?”

“Yeah, how is she now, Takamaki-san? Is she alright and did you two tell her about what happened?” asked Akira concernly to Ann.

“She’s alright now, Kurusu-kun. Thanks for asking about it. But more than that, she’s regained consciousness………!” said Ann in joy and relief to them (which surprises them).

“For real!?” said Ryuji.

“She’s regained consciousness!?” said Akira.

“Yeah, she really did, you guys.” said Minato with a relief smile on his face.

“That’s great, Takamaki-san!” said Akira as he smiled at Ann (who smiled back at Akira before tears started to glisten in her eyes, which make her quickly raised her hand to wipe it away before she crouch down, lowered and hide her face in her arms).

“It was only for a little bit, but Minato and I got to talk to her………! I was able to tell her that Kamoshida admitted to what he did………!” sobbed Ann in relief to them (who exchange silent and relief looks to each other) before she stood up from her crouching position. “Shiho, she……… she told me she was sorry……… Looks like she found out that I was flirting with Kamoshida for her sake……… And she apologize to Minato for scratching and hurting him when he try and fail to convince and save her from falling from the school’s rooftop. Looks like she and I are the same, wanting to apologize to each other and to Minato-kun too.” added Ann to them.

“Don’t blame yourself so much, Takamaki-san.” said Akira consolingly to Ann.

“Akira’s right, Lady Ann. Kamoshida’s at fault for all this.” added Morgana firmly to Ann.

“Yeah, Ann. Now that he finally confessed his crimes, got arrested and taken away by Mitsuyoshi-san, which means you and Suzui-san can rest easy now.” said Minato reassuringly to Ann as well.

“I know………” said Ann as she wipe away the last traces of tears from her eyes. “Shiho’s mom is thinking of transferring her to another school after she recovers. The whole sexual harassment and attempted suicide……… people will label her after that. Sounded like Shiho had the same idea too.” added Ann sullenly to them.

“It’s gonna get lonely………” said Ryuji as he leaned back in his chair.

“Yeah. But I think it’s for the best……… I’m sure it’ll be hard if she stays here.” said Ann solemnly to them.

“She’s alive. You can see her anytime.” said Ryuji.

“That’s right, Ann.” said Akira in an agreeing tone of voice to Ryuji.

“……… I need to change too.” said Ann as she clasped her hands together behind her back.

“That aside, I was surprised you could hold yourself back against Kamoshida’s shadow.” said Ryuji.

“It wasn’t like that……… I just wanted Kamoshida to apologize himself.” said Ann as she shook her head at Ryuji.

“You’re so kind, Lady Ann.” said Morgana as he glance dreamily up at Ann.

“No matter how much of a shit bag he was, finishing him off woulda left a bad aftertaste, huh?” said Ryuji with a grimace look on his face.

“No, that would be too easy for a bastard like him, Sakamoto-kun. Making him repent for his crimes is a far better revenge for him.” said Akira as he smiled coldly at Ryuji (which make him gulped in fear).

“Yeah, Akira’s right. Realizing what he’s done, he’ll grovel for forgiveness for the rest of his life, you know? And I believe that there are fates worse than death.” said Ann with a look of dark satisfaction on her face.

“Holy shit………” said Ryuji with a shock then fearful look on his face at what Akira and Ann just said.

“I agreed with you two about him, no matter how cold it is.” said Minato.

“Aw, thanks for that, Arisato-kun.” said Akira sarcastically to Minato.

“A-Anyways, that’s all settled……… But you know, there was one more thing I was wonderin’ about that castle.” said Ryuji before he glance at Morgana. “Why was Kamoshida the only one who had that Metaverse thing?” asked Ryuji.

“It isn’t necessarily limited to him. It’s something anyone could have if their hearts become warped from their desires.” replied Morgana.

“Anyone………” said Ann as she furrowed her brow.

“Wanna check it out?” asked Morgana.

“N-Not right now. We better lay low for a while. People are still gonna be talkin’ about Kamoshida.” replied Ryuji to Morgana as he shake his head and crossed his leg nervously. “Then again, it’s totally impossible for someone to find out what we did at his Palace.”

“Yeah, about that……… Weird rumors about you guys are already going around.” said Ann.

“What kind of weird rumors now, Takamaki-san?” asked Akira.

“Stuff like, you 3 got together and threatened Kamoshida with something close to physical violence………” replied Ann.

“The hell!?” said Ryuji in surprise to Ann.

“Hmph. What a bunch of lies.” scoffed Minato as he rolled his eyes a little.

“People aren’t going to easily believe that Phantom Thieves really exist.” said Ann as she rolled her eyes at Ryuji and Minato. “The calling card’s being treated like it was a prank by someone who knew what Kamoshida was doing.”

“Makes sense……… We are the ones who did it, and I still don’t completely believe in myself.” said Ryuji before he slumped in his chair.

“Let’s wait for things to settle down for the time being.” suggested Ann to them and they nodded in unison to her.

“Anyways, let’s see how much the medal we took from Kamoshida can be sold for. It’d be better if we pawned it off ASAP.” said Ryuji with a grin on his face as he pull out his phone and tapped the screen to search online for auction prices and found one. “Ooh, got a hit!” said Ryuji as he got excited before he shake his head and groaned in disappointment. “……… Wait, thirty thousand yen!? That’s all a gold medal’s worth!?”

“Never pegged you for the type of person who likes money, Sakamoto-kun.” said Akira in a deadpan tone of voice at Ryuji (which make Minato snorted in amusement).

“Remember that time back in middle school, Ryuji? I lend you some money.” said Ann as she smiled a fake smile at him.

“There’s no way I borrowed thirty thousand yen from you!” yell Ryuji as he stood up and scowled darkly at Ann.

“Wouldn’t it be around that much with compounded interest?” said Ann as she smirked at Ryuji now.

“Heh, she got you good, Sakamoto-kun.” chuckled Minato while Akira smirked at him.

“S-Shut up, Arisato! Compounded interest, my ass!” snapped Ryuji as he scowled even more darkly at Akira, Ann and Minato.

“I’m not saying that I’m taking all of it. I mean, it’s your fault for not paying me back the past few years! It’s just common sense!” said Ann as she rolled her eyes at Ryuji.

“Dammit………” swored Ryuji as he slumped his shoulders in resignation.

“I agreed on laying low and keeping an eye on the situation. However, you dragged me into this. It would be nonsense not to celebrate a successful mission.” said Morgana.

“I guess we could blow this dirty money on something fun.” said Ryuji as he grinned and rolled his shoulders a little.

“Discussions among phantom thieves are to take place over luxurious food. How about it?” suggested Morgana as he smiled merrily to them.

“Hmm……… That doesn’t sound bad at all, Morgana.” Said Akira as he nodded in agreement to Morgana. “

Hey, wait-” Ann started protesting before she fell into silence and reluctantly agreed with Morgana. “………Nah, I guess it’s fine. There’s somewhere I want to go then.”

“Where’s that?” asked Ryuji.

“It’s a place Shiho and I have been wanting to go for a while.” replied Ann.

“I own you money, so I can’t complain………” said Ryuji sullenly to Ann before he glance at both Akira and Minato. “What about you two? You two good with that?” asked Ryuji.

“I don’t mind, Sakamoto-kun.” replied Akira.

“Fine by me.” replied Minato.

“I’ll leave it to your discretion as well, Lady Ann.” said Morgana as he glance at Ann. “I’ll call and check the prices later then.” said Ann confidently to them.

“When should we go? Wanna do it soon, like tomorrow?” said Ryuji with an excited grin on his face.

“Why don’t we go on the last day of the holidays? It’ll help energize us when school life starts up again the day after.” said Ann.

“That means we’ll go and celebrate on the 5th, which is Children’s Day.” said Akira.

“That’s right.” said Ann as she nodded to Akira. “So, who among us is going to sell this medal?” asked Ann as she and the others glance down at the medal lying on the table.

“Leave that to me and Akira, Lady Ann. We know a store that’ll buy anything. Don’t we, Akira?” said Morgana to Akira.

“Yeah, sure.” said Akira as he nodded at Morgana.

“OK. I’ll leave that to you guys then.” said Ann as she grinned at Akira and Morgana, who also grinned back at Ann before both of them stood up, take the medal and he, Morgana and their friends left the rooftop and went home.


	29. Chapter 29

**An hour later, in the hospital………**

“Oh man, I wished that I was there to see you punch that bastard twice before you handcuffed and dragged him out of Shujin Academy in front of those teachers and students, Mitsu nii-san.” said Kyosuke with a satisfied smirk on his face after Mitsuyoshi told him about what he did to Kamoshida.

“So do I but you can’t because you still need to recover before you can resumed your work as a teacher, Kyosuke. Got it?” said Mitsuyoshi concernly and firmly to Kyosuke.

“Yes, I got it, _mom._ ” said Kyosuke as he rolled his eyes at him.

“Good, _cheeky boy_. I’ll be going now, see you, Kyosuke.” said Mitsuyoshi sarcastically back at him before he stood up and bade farewell to him.

“Yeah, see you, Mitsu nii-san.” Kyosuke bade farewell to Mitsuyoshi as he watched him turned and leave the room before he fell asleep.

Once Mitsuyoshi stepped out of Kyosuke’s room and closed the door behind him, he started thinking about the group calling themselves the “Phantom Thieves of Hearts” who posted the calling cards for Kamoshida before they make him confessed his crimes in the auditorium.

“ _Who could they be, I wonder?_ ” thought Mitsuyoshi suspiciously in his mind about them as he left the hospital and went home.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, inside the Niijima’s apartment………**

“Well, we’re back and it looks like my sister isn’t back yet, as usual.” said Makoto (who’s still looking sad and conflicted about Kamoshida’s crimes) to Minato after they came home from Shujin Academy.

“Yeah, I can see that. Also can you wipe away that sad and conflicted look on your face, Makoto-san?” said Minato when he saw the look on her face. “You had no idea on what he actually is and what he did to those students and Kanakubo-sensei so don’t blame yourself too much.”

“You may be right but still, I should have known, Minato-kun! If I had known earlier, then I could………” said Makoto sadly to Minato (who sighed before he turned and placed his hands on her shoulders).

“Hey, that’s enough now. What’s done is done and it won’t come back so stop being sad about it, Makoto-san. The only way left is for you to make sure that it won’t happen again, alright?” said Minato firmly and reassuringly to Makoto.

“………Yeah, you’re right. Thanks for the pep talk, Minato-kun.” said Makoto gratefully to Minato. “Oh and how’s Suzui-san, by the way?……… Is she alright?” asked Makoto hesitantly and concernly to Minato about Shiho.

“No problem and she’s fine, Makoto-san. Now let’s have dinner.” said Minato as he smiled reassuringly at Makoto before they head into the dining room for a simple dinner of fried rice until they’re done then they washed the dishes, left the dining room toward the bathroom and take turns for their baths, dry themselves up and put on their pajamas before they bade goodnight to each other then head into their own rooms.

Once Minato went into his room, he felt his phone vibrated with his friends messages and he pull out his phone to see and read the messages.

AT: _Is that gold medal real? When did it get inside his Palace………?_

AK: _Morgana just told me that the medal we had is a fake. The real one is still with Kamoshida._

RS: _What………? You’re telling me that Kamoshida’s still got the medal?_

MA: _Does it really matter now, Ryuji-kun? What matters is that we changed his heart._

AT: _Minato’s right, Ryuji! And anyway, if we had taken the real thing, that’d be stealing! I don’t think he’ll be proud of that medal anymore regardless._

RS: _You let go of stuff pretty easy, huh? Wanna forget about my debt?_

AT: _That’s different. Five hundred yen is a lot of money for a middle schooler, you know. Do you even still have that dolphin anyway?_

MA: _Mind telling us on what you mean by the dolphin, you two?_

AK: _Yeah, I’m curious about it too._

RS: _Stop digging that up, you two!_

MA: _A little too late for that, Ryuji-kun. Because we know about it now._

AT: _Back in middle school, we went on a field trip to the aquarium. But Ryuji had to spend all his money on a souvenir, so I lend him some for the train fare._

RS: I said I was sorry……… That was for my mom.

AK: _Oh really? That’s sweet of you and does she like it?_

RS: _Yeah, she does._

AT: _Well, I guess I can call it even after all we’ve been through._

RS: _……… Thank you. Anyways, we don’t gotta worry about selling that medal off if it’s a fake! End of story!_

“I’m feeling quite happy in seeing that no good abusing and perverted PE teacher got punch then arrested by Mitsuyoshi-san, Minato. What about you, do you feel the same too?” asked Pharos as Minato turned off and put his phone on his desk.

“ _I feel the same way too, Pharos. Plus those poor students who fell under his cruelty can rest easy now._ ” replied Minato in agreement with Pharos.

“ _I’m glad to hear that. Good night, Minato._ ” said Pharos.

“ _Yeah, good night to you too, Pharos._ ” said Minato before he lie down on the bed and fell asleep.


	30. Chapter 30

**The next day………**

“Good morning, Makoto-san.” greeted Minato as he glance at Makoto (who nodded silently at him) after they woke up, came out of their rooms, take turns having their baths until they’re done and dry themselves up, went back into their rooms to put on their casual outfits (a long sleeve, dark grey button-up shirt and long black trousers for Minato and a long sleeve, blue-green button-up shirt and long brown pants for Makoto) before they went toward the dining room to have their breakfast.

“So what shall we have for breakfast today, Makoto-san?” asked Minato.

“Today we’ll be having toasted breads with scrambled eggs and bacons, Minato-kun.” replied Makoto as she started taking out the things she needed from the fridge and cupboard before she started cooking. Once Makoto’s done cooking, both she and Minato sat down and ate their breakfast (which make Minato give her a compliment on her cooking and make her embarrassed a little) until they’re done then Minato helped bring and washed the dishes in the sink while Makoto thanked him for washing the dishes before she went into the living room, sat down and grab the remote from the table to turned on and watched the TV and soon saw a news report about their former PE teacher crimes in Shujin Academy.

“ _And now to our next topic………_ ” said the male newscaster voice from the TV as the picture of Shujin Academy appear in the screen. “ _Fall from Grace: The story of a dishonored Olympic medalist. Just recently, a high school coach admitted to his school that he had been perpetually abusing students. Given his prior Olympic achievements, this has caused quite a stir. What caused this habitual offender to suddenly confess his heinous crimes to his entire school? The police are hoping that the upcoming interrogations will bring light to this question._ ” added the male newscaster while a sad and conflicted look appear on Makoto’s face and Minato sighed when he noticed it after he's done washing the dishes and went into the living room.

“Makoto-san, didn’t I already tell you that it’s not your fault about Kamoshida crimes last night? So please wipe that sad and conflicted look away.” said Minato sternly to Makoto.

“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry about that, Minato-kun.” said Makoto apologetically to Minato (who nodded) as she quickly wipe it away.

The next second, the picture of Shujin Academy change to show an anonymous female Shujin student talking more about what Kamoshida did. “ _My friends would come back from practice with bruises all the time……… It was scary, but I’m relieved that the abuse is finally going to end now._ ”

The screen then change again to show another anonymous female Shujin student. “ _He would touch me and stuff all the time……… I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that sexual harassment anymore………_ ” sniffed the second female Shujin student before the screen change again to show a third anonymous female Shujin student.

“ _There were always rumors, sure. Not many people believed them though. Like……… I’m totally shocked that they were actually true. At least now I can go to school without worrying._ ” said the third female student concernly to the reporter.

As both Minato and Makoto continue to watch the news in silence, they heard Minato’s phone started ringing and when Minato take it out to see the caller ID, he saw that it’s Aigis with a happy smile on his face before he answer it.

“ _Minato-kun’s smiling. I guess whoever’s calling and talking to him now must be that close friend that he told me, Hanzo and Haru a few days ago._ ” thought Makoto as she watched him then glance back at the news.

“Hello and good morning to you, Aigis.” said Minato.

“ _Hello and good morning to you too, Minato-san. Are you free today?_ ” asked Aigis after she greeted him.

“Yeah, I am.” replied Minato.

“ _You’re, huh? That’s good because I wanted to spend time with you today. As friends, of course because Yukari-san told me that you and her are dating now._ ” said Aigis.

“Of course I’d spend time with you today and she’s right. We’re dating now and where is she, by the way?” said Minato before he asked Aigis a question.

“W-What!?” gasped Makoto as she glance in surprise and shock at Minato after she heard him saying that he’s dating someone.

“ _I’m glad to hear that and where should we meet, Minato-san? And Yukari-san has left to do her job._ ” asked Aigis before she answer Minato’s question.

“I see and what kind of job is she doing and how about the Station Square in Shibuya, Aigis?” said Minato as he gave a “I’ll-tell-you-later” look to Makoto (who nodded and wait for him to finish his call).

“ _Yukari-san’s an idol like Rise Kujikawa-san. She is acting as Pink Argus, one of the Neo Featherman group and she’s the first one to be a main character and got herself a lead role in a movie. Also, that’s a good place to meet and I’ll see you later, Minato-san._ ” said Aigis happily to Minato.

“Yeah, see you later and thanks for telling me about Yukari’s job, Aigis.” said Minato before both he and Aigis dismiss the calls to each other then he glance at Makoto.

“Why didn’t you tell me and Sis that you’re dating this close friend of yours and who is she, Minato-kun!? Also who is Aigis?” demanded Makoto.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you and Sae-san that I’m dating someone and I’ll tell you who she is, Makoto-san. Her name is Yukari Takeba. As for Aigis, she’s another close friend of mine and Yukari.” said Minato with a sheepish look on his face.

“ _So her name is Yukari Takeba, huh? Why does her name sound familiar for some reason? And this Aigis girl is another close friend of Minato-kun and Takeba-san?_ ” thought Makoto with a slight confused and pondering look on her face.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be leaving to see Aigis now so see you later, Makoto-san.” said Minato as he stood up and walked toward the front door.

“Yeah, see you later, Minato-kun.” said Makoto as she turned and watched Minato left the apartment before she turned off the TV, stood up then went into her room to study.

XXXX

**A few minutes later, in Shibuya………**

Once Minato arrived in Shibuya station, got off the train and walked out of the station into the square, he look around at the walking large crowd for any signs of Aigis and he soon saw her standing under a tree near the road at the same time she turned and saw him before they approach and stopped in front of each other with happy smiles on their faces.

“Hey Aigis. Ready to go?” said Minato.

“Yes, I’m ready and lead the way, Minato-san.” said Aigis.

Minato nodded before he turned and started to lead Aigis past the people toward the Central Street of Shibuya, spend the next few hours visiting and showing Aigis the same places that he brought Yukari to on their date before he collided hard into someone walking out of the diner at a fast pace and both Minato and the stranger that they collided against winced and groaned in pain at the same time Minato felt the same power of a Wild Card plus one good and one dark and sinister personas emanating from within the stranger in front of him.

“ _This feeling……… This person had the same power and is also a Wild Card like Kurusu-kun too? How could this be?_ ” thought Minato in confusion then wariness in his mind.

“Oh dear! Are you two alright?” asked Aigis concernly to Minato and the stranger.

“I’m fine, Aigis. And I’m sorry for knocking into you. I wasn’t looking at who’s in front of me.” replied Minato reassuringly to Aigis before he apologize to the person that he accidently collide against.

“That’s okay. There’s no need for you to apologize to me because I also didn’t see at whoever’s in front of me before I knock into you too.” said the stranger apologetically to Minato (who saw that the stranger is a young student guy about his age) as well.

“Guess today just ain’t our day, huh? Oh, my name is Minato Arisato and this is my friend, Aigis. What’s your name, by the way?” said Minato before he asked the stranger for his name then introduced himself and Aigis to him.

“It’s nice to meet you.” greeted Aigis politely to the stranger.

"It’s nice to meet you both too. The name’s Goro Akechi and wait a minute, did you just say your name is Minato Arisato? The guy who’s staying with Sae-san and her younger sister after you woke up from your coma?” said the guy named Goro Akechi in surprise and concern to Minato.

“Yeah, that’s right. Do you know Sae-san and her sister Makoto-san, Goro Akechi-san?” asked Minato.

“Yeah, I know them both, especially Sae-san because I worked with her and Mitsuyoshi-san.” replied Akechi as he smiled at Minato.

“I see. You worked with them both, huh? What do you do?” asked Minato with a small nod of his head.

“Of course, Arisato-kun. I do detective work because I’m a detective.” replied Akechi before he briefly glance down at his watch then glance back at both Minato and Aigis. “Well, it’s nice talking to you and Aigis-san, Arisato-kun. But I’ll be going now.”

“Right, of course. See you, Akechi-san.” said Minato, bade goodbye to Akechi (who gave them another small smile) as he and Aigis watched him turned and walked away and soon disappear into the crowd.

“Hm? Is something wrong, Minato-san?” asked Aigis when she noticed the tense look on his face.

“Aigis, that Goro Akechi guy is the same as me, a person that had the power of the Wild Card.” replied Minato without looking at Aigis. “ _Also the same as Kurusu-kun._ ” added Minato in his mind.

“What? He’s the same as you? Are you sure, Minato-san?” said Aigis concernly to Minato.

“Yes, I’m sure because I can feel it emanating out of him. I can also feel that one of his personas oozes a very evil and sinister feeling.” said Minato.

“Then what should we do about him? Should we keep an eye on him, Minato-san?” suggested Aigis even more concernly to Minato.

“I think we should, Aigis.” said Minato as he nodded in agreement with Aigis’s suggestion before he told and make plan to bring her and Yukari to Café Leblanc in Yongen-Jaya tomorrow before they bade farewell to each other, split up and went home.

 


	31. Chapter 31

**The next day, inside Mitsuru’s office in the mansion on the island………**

Mitsuru, Akihiko, Fuuka (a pale-skinned, teal-haired (tied in a braided style behind her) and teal-eyed young woman wearing a long sleeve white blouse, knee length brown skirt and black sandals on her feet and a second pale-skinned, long light blue-haired (which is tied up into a ponytail), red-eyed female android (like Aigis and wearing a long sleeve black shirt with matching trousers and shoes on her feet) were standing and sitting as they watch the news about Kamoshida, his victims and Shujin Academy, the school where Kamoshida did his crimes on the TV with solemn/sad/anger looks on their faces.

“Why would a teacher do such cruel things to those students? I just can’t believe it.” said Fuuka sadly to Mitsuru, Akihiko and the female android.

“What a bastard and serves him right for being arrested and going to jail because of what he did to them.” said Akihiko with a smirk on his face.

“I agreed with you about him deserving to go to jail for his crimes but still, the reason on how and why he had a change of heart and confess all of his crimes to the police plus the appearance of the “Phantom Thieves of Hearts” group is quite suspicious. Don’t you all think that his sudden change of heart could be related to the missing cognitive psience research of Wakaba Isshiki-san and those psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns cases happening in Tokyo for the past 2 years?” asked the female android as she glance concernly at them.

“It’s possible, Labrys.” replied Mitsuru to the female android named Labrys before she glance at them. “What do you all say and think about going to Tokyo to investigate those cases?” asked Mitsuru.

“I say let’s head there and do it, Mitsuru.” replied Akihiko as he nodded to her.

“Now wait a minute, Akihiko-san. What about the Kirijo Group here in Yakushima and in Tatsumi Port Island? Is it alright for us to leave for Tokyo to investigate those cases?” said Fuuka concernly to Akihiko.

“Don’t worry about it, Fuuka. I’m sure that the Kirijo Group will be alright in our absence.” said Mitsuru reassuringly to Fuuka. “Besides, we get to see Minato when we go there.”

“Oh, you’re right, Mitsuru-san.” said Fuuka as she nodded to Mitsuru.

“Same goes for me. I’m looking forward to seeing the guy which my older sister is so insisting on protecting and staying close to.” said Labrys, feeling very curious and slightly excited at the prospect of finally seeing Minato Arisato.

“Looks like we’re all in agreement then. Now I want you three to go and find Junpei, Ken and Koromaru and tell them that we’ll be leaving for Tokyo soon while I make a call to Mitsuyoshi-san and Yukari to tell them that we’re coming.” Mitsuru told Akihiko, Fuuka and Labrys, who nodded as they stood up, turned and left the office before she picked up the phone to called Mitsuyoshi then later Yukari.

XXXX

**A few minutes later, in Mitsuyoshi’s office in the SIU building………**

“Understood and I’ll be seeing and picking you and your colleagues up in the airport tonight, Kirijo-san.” said Mitsuyoshi calmly to Mitsuru through the phone on his desk.

“ _Likewise and goodbye, Tokugawa-san._ ” said Mitsuru’s voice before she bade farewell to him.

“Goodbye, Kirijo-san.” Mitsuyoshi bade farewell to Mitsuru as well before he disconnect the call and begin calling Sae to tell her about it.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, in Yongen-Jaya………**

“So this is the café named Leblanc that you wanted to bring and introduced to me and Aigis, huh, Minato?” said Yukari as she and Aigis glance at Minato as they in front of Leblanc.

“That’s right, Yukari. It’s owned by a man named Sojiro Sakura and he brewed and cooked one of the best coffee and curry that I’ve ever tasted.” said Minato as he glance and smiled at Yukari. “ _Plus it’s also the place where Akira Kurusu-kun stays and worked due his probation for a crime that he didn’t do because of an unknown,  drunk, corrupt politician._ ” added Minato sadly in his mind about Akira just as the door opened and Akira stepped out.

“Oh, hello, Arisato-kun. And who’re these two women with you?” greeted Akira when he saw Minato with both Yukari and Aigis standing with him.

“Oh well, they’re Yukari Takeba and Aigis, my girlfriend and close friend from Tatsumi Port Island, Kurusu-kun. Yukari, Aigis, this is one of my classmates in Shujin Academy, Akira Kurusu.” said Minato as he introduced the three of them to each other.

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you, Kurusu-kun.” greeted Yukari politely to Akira (who widened his eyes in surprise when he heard what Minato just tell him about them) while Aigis nodded to him.

“Wait, what!?……… You know what, you can explain about it to me and the others on the group chat later because I need to go to do something now.” said Akira.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll tell you and the others later.” said Minato as he nodded to Akira before he, Yukari and Aigis watched him walked away from them toward the subway station.

“Minato-san, what does he mean by you explaining to him and the others in the group chat later on?” asked Aigis in confusion to Minato.

“Yeah, I want to know why too, Minato.” added Yukari.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just that I forgot to mention you two to Kurusu-kun and the rest of my classmates, Yukari, Aigis. Now shall we head in for some coffee and curry?” said Minato as he glance at both Yukari and Aigis, who sighed and nodded to him in unison before they head into Leblanc. But as soon as they stepped inside, Minato stopped when he saw Sae sitting on a chair near the counter.

“Is something wrong, Minato? Why did you suddenly stop?” asked Yukari in concern and confusion to Minato (while Sae glance at him, Yukari and Aigis with a brief surprise look on her face).

“I suspect that it had something to do with the woman sitting there, Yukari-san.” said Aigis before Minato could answer her.

“Welcome……… Oh, it’s you, Arisato-kun.” said Sojiro coolly to Minato after he stepped out of the kitchen and put a cup of coffee down on the counter in front of Sae.

“You two know each other?” asked Sae as she picked up and take a sip of her coffee.

“He came to my café for some coffee and curry with the new part-timer that I just hired plus another blonde-haired guy from Shujin a week ago and that’s how we know each other, Niijima-san. And who’re those two women with you?” Sojiro told Sae before he asked the same question that Akira asked Minato.

“I would want to know as well, Arisato-kun.” said Sae coolly to Minato as she glance at Minato.

“We’re close friends of Minato-san from Tatsumi Port Island. I’m Aigis and she is Yukari Takeba.” said Aigis as she introduced herself and Yukari to both Sae and Sojiro (who nodded before he went back into the kitchen to cook the curry).

“Is that so? Because he never mention that he’d any close friends in Tatsumi Port Island when he stayed with me and Makoto.” said Sae as she narrowed her eyes at Minato.

“He didn’t, huh? The same can be said about him not telling me and Aigis that he stays with you and your sister, Niijima-san.” said Yukari, narrowing her eyes at him as well.

“Sorry about that. It’s because I forgot about it and you and Makoto-san never asked me about it.” said Minato apologetically to Sae.

“ _You’re in trouble now for neglecting to tell Sae-san about some of your old friends coming from Tatsumi Port Island to see you and Yukari-san and Aigis-san about you staying with her and her sister, Minato._ ” chuckled Pharos teasingly to Minato.

“ _Yeah, I know that, Pharos. There’s no need for you to rub it in my face._ ” said Minato in exasperation to Pharos (who continue to chuckle at him from within) before he spend the next few minutes calmly explaining some of the things to Sae, Yukari and Aigis, who accepted his explanations with surprise then calm looks on their faces.

“Now that you’re done in explaining and dodging bullets from them, what will you, Takeba-san and Aigis-san be having?” asked Sojiro to Minato, Yukari and Aigis.

“I’ll have Americano.” said Minato.

“Mocha latte for me.” said Yukari.

“Nothing for me, thank you.” said Aigis.

“Alright, one Americano and one mocha latte coming right up.” said Sojiro as he nodded to them before he proceed to brewed their drinks.

“So, you and Takeba-san are dating, huh? Never pegged you the type of guy that chased after famous idols.” scoffed Sae as she scowled at Minato (which make Yukari scowled at her).

“Think whatever you want about me about I don’t mind it much.” said Minato coolly to Sae before he suddenly remember about seeing Goro Akechi at Shibuya yesterday and about him saying that he worked with Sae and Mitsuyoshi. “Excuse me, there’s something I wanted to ask you about, Sae-san.”

“Like what, Arisato-kun?” said Sae.

“It’s about Goro Akechi. Can you tell me more about him?” asked Minato.

“How do you know about him and why the sudden interest?” said Sae as she glance in slight surprise then suspicion at Minato.

“Aigis and I met and talked to him a little in Central Street in Shibuya yesterday, that’s how. Now please, tell me more about him.” asked Minato even more firmly to Sae.

"It's true, Niijima-san." said Aigis in agreement with Minato.

“………Fine. He’s a third-year student who goes to Kosei High, sometimes would skip school to come to the SIU building to help me and Mitsuyoshi with detective works or to go to the TV station to appear on talk shows to discuss about the psychotic breakdown cases and is labelled the second coming of “Detective Prince” by the public.” replied Sae.

“I see. Is there more that you can tell about him or is that all, Sae-san?” said Minato.

“That’s all I can tell you about him, Arisato-kun. Now if you all will excuse me, I need to get back to do my work and thanks for the coffee.” said Sae as she finish and pay for her coffee before she stood up, bade farewell to them and left the café.

Soon after she left, Yukari felt and heard her phone started ringing, take it out to see who is it and saw that it’s Mitsuru and answer it.

“Hello, Mitsuru-san. What is it?” said Yukari.

“ _Hello, Yukari. Just wanted to tell you that I and the rest of our old friends have decided to come to Tokyo together to help Mitsuyoshi in investigating the cases that’s happening in Tokyo tonight._ ” said Mitsuru.

“What, you and the others are coming to see him and helped Mitsuyoshi-san with the cases tonight? Are you sure, Mitsuru-san?” said Yukari concernly to Mitsuru.

“ _Yes, I’m sure and be sure to tell Aigis about it, Yukari. And also……… me, Akihiko, Fuuka and Labrys look forward to seeing Minato again, especially Labrys._ ” said Mitsuru reassuringly to Yukari.

“Alright, if you say so, Mitsuru-san.” sighed Yukari.

“ _Well then, we’ll be seeing you, Aigis and Minato in the hotel in Ikebukuro tomorrow, goodbye._ ” said Mitsuru as she bade farewell to Yukari.

“Uh huh, goodbye, Mitsuru-san.” said Yukari, bade farewell to Mitsuru as well before she disconnect the call and told both Minato and Aigis about Mitsuru and the others coming to Tokyo for the cases and to see Minato again.

Both Minato and Aigis were surprise then happy at what Yukari just told them and at the prospect of seeing Mitsuru and the others again (especially for Minato) before both Minato and Yukari finish and pay for their coffee, bade farewell to Sojiro and left the café before they head to the subway station, bade farewell and take different trains home.

Once Minato arrived and stepped off the train, he head back to Niijima apartment, went in and nodded to Makoto (who nodded back to him) before he went down the hallway to his room and went in. Soon after Minato went into his room, his phone started ringing and he pull it out to see who is it, saw that it’s Akira and answer it.

“Hello, Kurusu-kun. You done doing whatever it is you’re doing and wanted explanation from me now?” said Minato.

“ _That’s right so start explaining, Arisato-kun._ ” said Akira coolly to Minato, who let out a small sigh before he proceed to tell Akira about Yukari and Aigis for the next few minutes.

Once Minato’s done telling Akira about them, Akira stay silent for a while before he told Minato about them meeting up with Ann and Ryuji in Shibuya for their celebration, which make Minato tell him that he can’t because he already make plans to meet up with old friends in Ikebukuro and told Akira to do the celebration with both Ann and Ryuji and without him (which disappoints Akira) before Minato bade goodnight to him, turned off his phone, left his room to take a bath and change into his pajamas before he went back to his room and fell asleep.


	32. Chapter 32

**Night-time, inside Mitsuyoshi’s office………**

“Come on in and welcome to my office, Kirijo-san, Sanada-san and Yamagishi-san.” greeted Mitsuyoshi to Mitsuru, Akihiko and the others after he and Kyosuke picked her and her friends up from the airport before he, Mitsuru, Akihiko and Fuuka head to the SIU building and stepped into his office together while Junpei, Ken, Koromaru and Labrys stay in the lobby and talking with Kyosuke. Once they’re inside his office, Mitsuyoshi then asked them a question. “Now that all of you are here in Tokyo again, how are you three going to help me with the psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdown cases?”

“Well, for starters. Me, Akihiko and Fuuka would like to see all of the files of all the victims of psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns that you have, Tokugawa.” said Mitsuru, answering Mitsuyoshi’s question.

“Very well then. Here’s the 2 years files about the victims that you, Sanada-san and Yamagishi-san needs, Kirijo-san.” said Mitsuyoshi as he picked up a thick file from his desk and handed the thick file over to Mitsuru (who nodded before she opened and see the file with Akihiko and Fuuka).

Mitsuru, Akihiko and Fuuka spend 7 minutes in going through the files about the psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns victims for the past two years with disbelief, anger and sad looks on their faces until they’re done then Mitsuru closed and handed the file back to Mitsuyoshi (who take it and put it on his desk again).

“Terrible and very suspicious, isn’t it? About how random, different peoples who mind their own businesses just suddenly go berserk and attack other nearby peoples or caused tragic accidents and can’t remember on why they do so afterward while others had black ooze leaking out of their faces and dropped dead.” said Mitsuyoshi grimly to them as he crossed his arms.

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s terrible and suspicious about these cases, Tokugawa-san.” said Fuuka in grim agreement with Mitsuyoshi.

“Question is, who or what caused these accidents and why did these accidents started happening two years ago?” said Akihiko with a pondering look on his face.

“We’ll find out about why these accidents started happening 2 years ago, Akihiko, Fuuka and you too, Mitsuyoshi. Will you accept our help?” said Mitsuru as she glance at Mitsuyoshi.

“Of course, Kirijo-san.” said Mitsuyoshi as he nodded to her.

“Thank you. Now if you don’t mind, we’ll be taking our leave now because tomorrow we’re going to meet up with 3 of our old friends who stay here, Tokugawa-san.” said Mitsuru.

“Is that so? I was wondering on why I didn’t see Takeba-san and Aigis-san with you all but now I know why. So those two choose to stay here with another of your old friend, huh? May I ask who is this third person with them?” asked Mitsuyoshi curiously to them.

“Well, he’s Minato Arisato and he used to be-” replied Fuuka.

“Wait a minute. Did you just say Minato Arisato, Yamagishi-san?” said Mitsuyoshi with a surprise look on his face, cutting off Fuuka’s words.

“Huh? Uh, yes, I did. Why do you ask, Tokugawa-san?” said Fuuka in slight confusion to Mitsuyoshi.

“Do you know him, Tokugawa?” asked Mitsuru.

“Of course I know him, Kirijo-san. He’s the guy who stay in the same apartment with my girlfriend, Sae Niijima and her younger sister, Makoto Niijima and enrolled into Shujin Academy.” replied Mitsuyoshi.

“He did!? Oh man………” said Akihiko with a concern look on his face.

“Looks like he need to explain to us on why he neglected to tell us about it and if his answer isn’t to my liking, I’ll personally execute him on the spot.” said Mitsuru with a cold smile on her face while Mitsuyoshi, Akihiko and Fuuka started shivering a little when they felt the temperature go down.

“I too have some questions for Arisato-kun so I guess I’ll be seeing him with you all tomorrow. If you don’t mind, Kirijo-san.” said Mitsuyoshi.

“Of course I don’t, Tokugawa.” said Mitsuru as she nodded to Mitsuyoshi before she, Akihiko and Fuuka bade farewell to him, turned around and left his office.


	33. Chapter 33

**The next day, inside a room in a hotel in Ikebukuro………**

When Minato bade farewell to the Niijima sisters, met up with both Yukari and Aigis before they took the train to Ikebukuro, found and entered the expensive-looking hotel where the rest of his old friends are staying before they took the elevator up to the 30 floor, stepped off the elevator and head down a hallway with dozens of doors on both sides until they arrived in front of door 301, opened and went into the room to meet and greet them, he did not expect to see Mitsuyoshi sitting on a couch with Kanakubo-sensei sitting next to him with them with “ _You’ve got some explaining to do_ ” looks on their faces.

“Hello and good morning to you, Arisato-kun.” greeted Kanakubo-sensei coolly to Minato.

“T-Tokugawa-san and Kanakubo-sensei? What’re you two doing here and with my………” said Minato in surprise to Mitsuyoshi and Kanakubo-sensei.

“………With your old friends from Tatsumi Port Island, you asked? Well, the answer to your first question is because I’ve some questions for you and for your second question, they’re my friends too.” explained Mitsuyoshi coolly to Minato.

“Good morning and it’s nice to see you again, Minato. I too, have some questions that I wanted to asked you about and if your answers isn’t to my liking, prepare yourself for my execution.” said Mitsuru as she smiled at Minato while letting loose a aura of coldness toward him, which make him shiver and gulped in fear before giving a cold look at both Yukari and Aigis when she noticed that they’re about to protest on Minato’s behalf.

“ _You’re in trouble again, Minato. This time with Mitsuru Kirijo, the ice queen and heiress of the Kirijo Group and Mitsuyoshi Tokugawa, the latest and elder descendant of the old and prestigious Tokugawa family._ ” said Pharos concernly to Minato.

“ _Yeah, I know that, Pharos. It’s just like yesterday with Sae-san in Leblanc and whatever questions that they wanted to ask me, I’ll answer them._ ” said Minato.

“Here’s my first question for you. Why didn’t you told me, Sae and Makoto that you used to know and go to Gekkoukan High School with Kirijo-san and her friends before you came here, live with Sae and Makoto and re-enrolled into Shujin Academy?” asked Mitsuyoshi.

“I just didn’t think at that time that it’s important to tell you, Niijima-san and Makoto-san that I used to go to Gekkoukan high with Yukari, Aigis, Kirijo-senpai and the others before I come here to Tokyo. For that, I’m really sorry, Tokugawa-san.” replied Minato apologetically to Mitsuyoshi.

“Say what!? You didn’t think that it’s important to tell us about it!? How could you, Arisato-kun?” said Kanakubo-sensei in anger and disbelief at Minato while Mitsuru sighed and shake her head at him.

“Calm down, Kyosuke. I’m sure he had his reason plus he doesn’t know us very well yet after he came.” said Mitsuyoshi calmly to Kanakubo-sensei.

“Sorry, you’ve a point, Mitsuyoshi nii-san.” said Kanakubo-sensei apologetically to Mitsuyoshi (who nodded before he and Mitsuru ask some more questions to Minato (who’s surprise to know that his homeroom teacher is Mitsuyoshi’s brother), who answer each of their questions honestly).

“I see. Thank you for answering our questions and all your answers pretty much sums up on everything about you in your file from Kirijo-san, Arisato-kun.” said Mitsuyoshi before he asked Minato another question. “Now onto the last question, do you or maybe others like you have anything to do with that Kamoshida bastard sudden change of heart in Shujin? Tell me and don’t bother lying or making excuses because I don’t like it.”

“………Yes, you’re right. I’m one of the people who caused a sudden change of heart in Kamoshida.” replied Minato without looking at Mitsuyoshi.

“No way! For real!?” gasped Junpei in surprise and shock at Minato.

“Why would you do that to Kamoshida?” asked Mitsuyoshi.

“Because he’s been blackmailing, abusing male students, sexually harassing female students and caused Shiho Suzui-san to nearly die, Tokugawa-san. That’s why I and the others do it.” replied Minato coldly to Mitsuyoshi about the reason why.

“And who are these others who do it with you?” asked Mitsuyoshi again to Minato.

“I’m sorry but I won’t tell you who they are, Tokugawa-san.” said Minato firmly to Mitsuyoshi, refusing to say the names of his new friends.

“……… I see. Thank you for answering my last 2 questions, Arisato-kun. And while I initially suspect that you or the others with you in Shujin might be the criminal or criminals who caused those psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns accidents on those innocent civilians, I’m glad to see that I’m wrong about it.” said Mitsuyoshi as he gave a small smile to Minato.

“Hold on, Tokugawa-san. You suspect that either I or the others might be responsible for those accidents that’s been happening in Tokyo for the past 2 years, are you serious!?” said Minato in disbelief at Mitsuyoshi (same goes for Yukari, Aigis, Fuuka, Ken and Junpei while Mitsuru, Akihiko, Labrys, Koromaru and Kanakubo-sensei stay silent).

“Of course I had to since I’m a detective, not just the head of the Tokugawa clan, Arisato-kun. Well then, Kyosuke and I will be taking our leave now, goodbye to you, Kirijo-san and your friends.” said Mitsuyoshi to Minato before he bade farewell to Mitsuru and her friends.

“Goodbye, Tokugawa and Kanakubo.” Mitsuru bade farewell to both Mitsuyoshi and Kanakubo-sensei (who winked and smiled at Fuuka, which make her blush and look down in embarrassment) as she, Minato and their friends watched them both leave the room.

“Okay, now that you, Tokugawa-san and his brother are done questioning Minato and they’ve left, what do you guys say and think about having a party to welcome Minato back?” said Junpei excitedly to them.

“A welcome back party for Minato, huh? I’m game, Junpei.” said Akihiko in agreement with Junpei.

“In that case, I’ll call and order room service for the party and all of us. Give me a sec.” said Mitsuru as she picked up the phone and began dialling for room services while Minato smiled and talked to Akihiko, Fuuka (who had happy tears glisten in her eyes at seeing him again), Labrys (who finally met the guy that her sister insisting on staying close and protect) and the rest of his old friends as they waited for room services.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, in another hotel in Shibuya………**

While Minato spend time being questioned by Mitsuyoshi, Kanakubo-sensei and Mitsuru before having a welcome back party with his old friends after both Mitsuyoshi and Kanakubo-sensei left, Akira, Morgana, Ryuji and Ann were having another party of their own inside a large and high-class buffet room filled with men in stuffy suits and women in pretty dresses.

“ _This place is great and it’s foods and drinks are delicious. Too bad that Minato-kun’s unable to join us._ ” thought Akira slightly sadly about Minato being unable to come with them.

“Aw man, it melts in my mouth!” said Ryuji happily.

"Seriously? Only meat?” said Morgana incredulously to Ryuji.

“Now, which one should I start first?” said Ann as she look at all of the cakes in front of her that she took from the buffet table before she take and ate the square marble cake.

“And she’s all about the cakes………” said Morgana as he glance at Ann with a cringe look on his face.

“ _These two are really terrible. Makes me almost glad that Minato-kun isn’t here to see these two stuffed themselves with meats and cakes._ ” thought Akira in exasperation in his mind.

“So happy………” moaned Ann with a dreamy look on her face.

"Hey. Calories.” teased Ryuji.

“Shuddup!” snapped Ann as she glared at Ryuji. “How much do you think one of these costs!? I’ll never get the chance to do this again! Mmm, the Wilton Hotel cake buffet……… I’d heard rumors, but I never thought it’d be so amazing!” added Ann happily to herself as she finish the square marble cake and proceed to pick up and eat the chocolate praline cake.

“And……… where’s our share?” asked Morgana.

“I didn’t really know what you’d want……… So I just grabbed you some beans.” said Ryuji as he pushed a plate of huge greenish-yellow slop in Morgana’s direction (which make him widened his eyes in shock and disgust) with a huge grin on his face.

“B-Beans?” stuttered Morgana in horror at Ryuji.

“ _Oh my god._ ” thought Akira in disgust in his mind at the plate of huge greenish-yellow slop that Ryuji pushed toward Morgana.

“There were some pretty bizarre things there too, so we got you a variety of those. Like fried bananas, preserved eggs and……… some kind of beans.” said Ann as she nodded to them.

“M-More beans………?” stuttered Morgana even more in horror at Ann.

“We put so much on the plate that it got all mixed up, but it should probably still taste good.” said Ann as she finish her chocolate praline cake and began eating the plate of tiramisu cake.

“Sakamoto-kun, Takamaki-san, whatever this plate of huge pile of slop that you two get for Morgana, it doesn’t look edible and it looks disgusting and gross as hell.” said Akira in a horrified tone of voice to them both.

“Akira’s right, this is just plain grotesque………” said Morgana with a cringe look on his face before he glance up at Akira. “Let’s go, Akira. These two just don’t know what fine dining means! We’ll show them both!” said Morgana sternly to Akira.

“Alright, leave it to me, Morgana.” said Akira confidently to Morgana.

“That’s reassuring! Okay then, Akira!” said Morgana as he smiled excitedly at Akira before he glance at both Ryuji and Ann. “You guys watch our things while we’re gone! Wait patiently for our return!” added Morgana sternly to them both.

“Ahhh, it’s like a meaty explosion in my mouth………!” moaned Ryuji dreamily.

“Ooh, this part’s cream cheese!” moaned Ann in a joyful tone of voice.

“It’s useless talking to them, Morgana. They’re both in their own world right now.” said Akira as he shake his head.

“True, they’re not even listening to us……… Come on, let’s go, Akira.” sighed Morgana before he and Akira stood up, turned and head toward the buffet tables. As both Akira and Morgana approach the buffet tables, he take an empty plate, picked and put some fishes, meats, vegetables, rice and desserts on it (which Morgana helped pointing out to Akira which ones to take and not take) while at the same time eavesdropping in silence on the wealthy-looking and insensitive adults gossiping uncaringly about Kamoshida crimes of shame, the unsolved cases of psychotic breakdowns, the students of Shujin Academy and about the change of heart that Akira, Minato and their teammates did on Kamoshida (which mentally annoyed Akira and Morgana).

After Akira had taken and put enough foods on his plate, both he and Morgana then went back and sat down with Ryuji and Ann before all of them try their best to finish all of the foods on the table together and barely managed to finish all of it barely within the one hour time limit. Once they’re done eating, they all stood up and make their way out of the room and try to find the restrooms of the hotel.

XXXX

**A few minutes later………**

“Ughh, I’m stuffed………” groaned Morgana quietly after he, Akira and Ryuji left the restrooms, headed and stopped in front of the elevators.

“Yeah, you’re not the only one.” groaned Ryuji in agreement with Morgana.

“That’s what’ll happened to you and Sakamoto-kun when you two eat past what your stomachs can hold.” said Akira in a light reprimanding tone of voice to Morgana.

“You’re one to talk, Akira. You ate just as much as us too.” retorted Morgana weakly to Akira.

“Yes, I did. But unlike you and him, I didn’t eat past my stomach’s limit.” said Akira.

“Can you two bicker later? Anyway, what floor where that restaurant is again?” asked Ryuji as he glance at the elevator while several adults appear and waited for the elevator behind them too.

“We came up to get here, so it has to be on the lower floor, right?” replied Morgana to Akira (who nodded to him) before Ryuji pressed the down button of the elevator and they waited for the elevator to come, unaware that the adults standing behind them had quickly move aside to let some dark brown suited men and a bald-headed, black suited distinguished man wearing amber-coloured glasses on his face walked past them and one of the dark brown suited men rudely pushed both them aside.

“Gah!” gasped both Morgana and Ryuji in surprise.

“What the!? Are you two alright?” asked Akira concernly to both Morgana and Ryuji.

“Yeah, I’m fine, Akira.” said Morgana gratefully to Akira.

“So am I.” said Ryuji gratefully to Akira before he glared at the brown-suited men that rudely pushed them aside.

“So, have you managed to convinced Mitsuyoshi Tokugawa to come to our side and what about the case? Is there any updates about it?” asked the bald-headed distinguished man as he glance coldly at one of his subordinates.

“N-Not yet and Tokugawa-san’s answer is still the same no………” replied the subordinate apologetically to him.

“Excuse me, but why are you so involved with the case and kept on wanting Tokugawa-san to join your side, sir? It’s not something you should be concerned with………”

“I don’t care about your opinion about the case and about your failure to convinced Mitsuyoshi Tokugawa, you incompetent buffoon! When I say pick up the pace, you do it!” snapped the distinguished man as he turned to glared at the subordinate who speak out.

“Excuse me! You’re all cutting in line!” snapped Ryuji angrily at them.

“………What do you want?” said another subordinate as he turned to glared at Ryuji.

“Oh, I’m _sorry_. Are we supposed to stand aside while you guys need the elevator?” sneered Ryuji as he glared back at the subordinate.

“We’re in a hurry, _boy._ ” sneered the subordinate.

“You all are in a hurry, so what? Come earlier next time then! All we wanted is an apology!” snapped Ryuji even more angrily to them.

“It seems the customer base has changed since I was here last. Have they started a day care?” said the distinguished man uncaringly to them.

“What was that?” said Ryuji as he glance and narrowed his eyes at the distinguished man.

“Sir, we don’t have time for this.” said the subordinate as he ignored Ryuji and glance back at the distinguished man.

“I know.” said the distinguished man to the subordinate just as the elevator door opened with a ding sound. Ryuji took a step forward but the one of the subordinates turned and rudely pushed him away.

“Hey!” yell Akira as he glared at the subordinate that rudely pushed Ryuji away.

“Don’t bother with them! And shut your mouth and mind your own business next time, boy.” said the distinguished man coldly to Akira (who suddenly felt that his voice sounds familiar before his head started throbbing a little with images that flashed swiftly through his head and he shake his head a little) before he and his subordinates went into the elevator and the door closed up.

“Tch, adults these days. They weren’t even hiding the fact that they look down on us.” said Ryuji as he glared at the closed door of the elevator.

“Calm down and shouldn’t we head back down?” said Morgana coolly to them.

“Yeah, I know, Morgana. But that man and his subordinates are just beyond rough and rude to us!” replied Ryuji angrily to Morgana as he pressed the down button of the elevator again.

“Don’t lose your temper over this.” said Morgana sympathetically to Ryuji.

“But even so………!” said Ryuji as he turned and glance frustratedly at Morgana.

“ _That man’s voice………_ ” thought Akira to himself as he think back to the bad time when he got incriminated by the drunken, bald-headed man for helping the woman. “ _His voice sounded almost like the one from back then………_ ”

“Hey, what’s wrong, Kurusu?” asked Ryuji concernly to Akira.

“It’s nothing, Sakamoto-kun.” replied Akira reassuringly to Ryuji.

“Are you sure? Because you don’t look fine to me.” said Ryuji.

“Must be because of the food he just ate.” said Morgana.

“Really, Kurusu?” asked Ryuji sceptically to him.

“Yeah, must be, Sakamoto-kun.” replied Akira as he nodded to Ryuji.

“………If you say so, Kurusu. Ugh, adults these days………” said Ryuji just as the elevator door opened again and he, Akira, Morgana and the other adults went into the elevator.

When Akira, Morgana and Ryuji got back to where Ann is in the buffet room, they instantly complain about their own bad encounter with other rude adults in different floors before Ryuji began asking and talking to Morgana about whether anyone have Palaces due to strong, distorted desires and Morgana answer yes. Ryuji then told them that he wanted to continue the Phantom Thieves business to help more people, make them believe that the Phantom Thieves do exist and thanked them for it.

Akira, Morgana and Ann ponder about Ryuji’s words and they unanimously agreed with him to continue the Phantom Thieves business for the sake of helping people and changing the hearts of corrupted adults before Morgana, Ann and Ryuji nominated Akira as their leader, which surprises him and he think about it before he agreed with them and their Phantom Thieves business is officially formed.


	34. Chapter 34

**Several hours later, in the room in a hotel in Ikebukuro………**

“Oh man, the room services in this hotel is great! Now that’s what I call a great welcome back party for our leader and buddy, Minato!” said Junpei with a happy and satisfied look on his face before a slightly sick look came and replaced his previous looks. “But now I kind of regret it because I think I ate and drank a little too much………”

“Serves you right for being such a glutton, Junpei. Hopefully it’ll teach you a lesson to not eat too much next time.” said Yukari as she rolled her eyes at Junpei (who scowled at her) being a glutton.

“Just like old times, you guys are still the same as ever, sometimes.” said Minato as he smiled at them.

“Of course we are, Minato. Why wouldn’t we?” said Akihiko as he nodded to Minato (who nodded back to him before he glance at the clock on the wall and saw that it’s already 7 o’clock).

“Yeah, I know, Akihiko-san. And thanks for arranging this welcome back party for me, you guys. But now it’s time for me to leave and head back to the apartment.” said Minato thankfully to them as he stood up from his seat then glance at Ken. “Also, I look forward to seeing you in Shujin tomorrow, Ken.” added Minato to Ken.

“Yeah, I know, Minato-senpai. See you tomorrow.” said Ken as he nodded to Minato.

“See you, Minato.” said Yukari.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow, Ken. And you too, Yukari.” said Minato as he nodded again to them before he left the room and take the train to head back to the Niijima apartment.

XXXX

**Inside Leblanc’s attic………**

“Well, we spend almost all of our money on the buffet, but……… We officially established the Phantom Thieves, so it was totally worth it, Akira. Although it’s too bad that Minato’s unable to join us for the buffet and for the formation of the Phantom Thieves because he had to see some old friends of his in Ikebukuro.” said Morgana happily about the buffet and the formation of the Phantom Thieves then sadly about Minato unable to join them to Akira.

“Yeah, I know, Morgana.” said Akira as he glance back at Morgana before he felt his phone vibrating and he pull it out to see his friends messages.

RS: _The Phantom Thieves, huh……… I’m liking the sound of that! If only Arisato’s was there with us………_

MA: _Hello, you guys. Sorry for unable to joined you guys for the buffet party and how goes the buffet party?_

RS: _It was great, Arisato! You should have been with us and enjoy it!_

MA: _Yeah, I know, maybe next time I can, Ryuji-kun. Hm? What’re you guys talking about and what’s this “Phantom Thieves” thing?_

AT: _Hey, Minato! That’s right, you weren’t at the buffet with us a few hours ago. Well, you see, we met some adults who were rude to us at the hotel where we had our party, found out about a website on our phones called the “Phantom Aficionado Website”, decided to establish the Phantom Thieves and unanimously voted Akira as our leader. So what do you think and are you in with us?_

MA: _Oh, I see. Sounds like a good idea and I’m in._

AT: _Great! I hope we can really helped people. I’m curious about the Phantom Aficionado Website too. I wonder who made it………_

RS: _No clue._

MA: _Maybe it’s someone from our school?_

AK: _It’s possible, Arisato-kun._

RS: _Maybe, Kurusu. More importantly, did any of you see the survey on there? I dunno how I feel about it._

AT: _Yeah, there was this approval rating thing, but it was only at like 6 percent………_

AK: _That’s better than I expected._

AT: _I guess it’s not so bad if you put it that way………_

RS: _But don’t you guys just wanna get it higher than that? I bet it’ll go up tons if we keep taking down big targets. It’s pretty damn exciting if you guys try and think about it like that._

AT: _You know, you’re actually right. Well then, let’s keep working hard from this point on!_

AK: _Of course we will!_

MA: _And try not to get too carried away, alright, you guys?_

RS: _Yeah, yeah._

“From tomorrow on, we’re officially the Phantom Thieves and I’m glad that Minato now knew about it and joined us. I hope we can find a big shot we can target soon, Akira.” said Morgana to Akira, who nodded as he turned off and put his phone on the desk filled with the tools he used to create infiltration items before he picked Morgana up and they fell asleep.

XXXX

**In the Velvet Room………**

“ _Here I am, back in the Velvet Room once again._ ” thought Akira in slight exasperation to himself after he opened his eyes and see that he’s back inside the cell of the Velvet Room before he stood up, turned and glance at Caroline, Justine and Igor.

“First off……… I’d like to begin by congratulating you.” said Igor in an approving tone of voice to Akira.

“To think our master would give words of praise………” said Justine as she turned to glance at Akira.

“You better treasure this moment, Inmate!” snapped Caroline as she turned to scowled at Akira.

“You have encountered allies who shared your aesthetics, the resurrected “messiah” who’ll help you and your allies and you have found your place in reality. The time has finally come……… Your rehabilitation will soon begin.” said Igor.

"What rehabilitation?” asked Akira in confusion at Igor.

“I shall explain it to you now……… You have a special potential. However, that must be refined into a useful power. It is weak now, but refining it shall grant you the strength to stand against the coming ruin……… That is the rehabilitation cast upon you.” replied Igor.

“Strength to stand against the coming ruin?” said Akira hesitantly and uneasily at Igor.

“There are various means by which you may gain the power to resist the ruin.” explained Igor as he ignored his words. “Fighting Shadows, gather personas and gaining experience is one way. The fusion process I taught you prior is another.”

“This is all possible because of our master’s guidance, Inmate!” said Caroline.

“Though it may be presumptuous of us, we have words of wisdom as well.” said Justine.

“When you’re out in reality, you better hone your relationships with those you have contracts with!” continue Caroline.

“Spending time with these people……… will lead to the cultivation of your relationships with them.” added Justine.

“If you’ve got time to waste, you’d better visit your contractors, Inmate!” finished Caroline.

“That is another source of power to evade the ruin that our master has mentioned to you.” finished Justine.

“ _Oh dear god, what they just told me is a little too much to take in all at once but if what they say is true, then I’ve no choice but to do it._ ” thought Akira in exasperation in his mind at their words.

“Thanks to the contracts you’ve formed, your heart is steadily gaining the power of opposition. It seems the rehabilitation is going well. This is a truly joyous occasion……… I shall grant you an ability befitting of your newfound growth. Consider it a gift. May the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper……… I have high hopes for you.” explained Igor even more to Akira (who felt his social link with Igor go up to level 3) as he chuckled amusingly at him before they heard the bell ringing out.

“………The time has come. Return to your brief moments of rest.” said Justine.

“And don’t forget to go talk to your contractors, Inmate!” said Caroline.

“………Fine.” said Akira to them as he felt his eyelids started to go heavy and he closed his eyes and fell asleep.


	35. Chapter 35

**The next day………**

“Good morning, Kurusu-kun and Morgana.” greeted Minato to both Akira and Morgana as he saw Akira standing near a wall with Morgana inside his bag after he came down into the station.

“Good morning, Arisato-kun.” greeted Akira as he glance at Minato.

“Morning.” greeted Morgana as well to Minato.

“Yeah. And here comes our train so let’s head in, you guys.” said Minato as he, Akira and Morgana saw the arrival of their train before it stopped in the station, opened it’s doors then they head in with the other passengers and soon found themselves almost squished together among the other passengers around them inside the crowded train after it leave the station before they heard some people standing nearby them started talking.

“I wish I had money. I’d kill for a real breakfast………” said a broke-ass college student.

“What about “Big Bang Burger”? The one on Central Street is holding a contest right now. The Big Bang challenge or whatever.” said an energetic college student to the broke-ass college student. “If you went there at night to eat it, you can eat for only 500 yen.”

“ _Hm, the Big Bang challenge at Big Bang Burger in Central Street in Shibuya for only 500 yen at night? Sounds interesting for me to try out but I’d have to ask permission from Sae-san to go out at night first._ ” thought Minato to himself.

“You gotta eat one of their giant burgers though, right? How can anyone actually finish that? Still……… 500 yen is a steal.” said the broke-ass college student before he and the other college student stopped talking.

“A huge burger, huh? Interesting. Why don’t you go and try the challenge out, Akira?” said Morgana.

“Maybe one of the nights I will go to Central Street to try it out, Morgana.” said Akira as he smirked at Morgana.

“Kurusu-kun, if you do go to Central Street to try it out at night, is it alright if I come along with you because I’m interested in the challenge too.” said Minato.

“Sure, no problem, Arisato-kun.” said Akira as he nodded to Minato the train which they’re in stopped in Aoyama-Itchome station, opened it’s doors and Minato, Akira and Morgana got off the train with the other people. After they got off the train, they make their way out of the station toward Shujin Academy, entered the school and split up to head toward their different classrooms.

XXXX

**Inside the classroom………**

“Good morning, class.” greeted Kanakubo-sensei to the students after he came into the classroom. “Before we begin today’s lesson, I’d like to introduce another new transfer student that’ll be in this class. Come on in and introduced yourself to them.” said Kanakubo-sensei before he glance at the door, called out to someone outside and soon the class saw Ken Amada stepped into the room and stand next to Kanakubo-sensei.

“Hello, I’m Ken Amada and it’s nice to meet you all.” said Ken politely to the class while he glance and nodded to Minato, who gave a small smile and nodded back to him (which make Hanzo glance suspiciously at him).

“Another transfer student? That makes him the third one and it’s yet another guy.” said a short, brown-haired girl.

“Yeah. Also, don’t you think he’s kinda cute?” said a long, brown-haired girl.

“Yeah, you’re right, he’s kinda cute. Scratch that, he’s cuter than the blue-haired, emo-looking Minato Arisato in our class.” said the short brown-haired girl.

“ _Ouch, you hear that, Minato? They say that Ken-kun is cuter than you, which means that your charm has been transfer to Ken-kun and now he’s charming them instead of you._ ” said Pharos in amusement to Minato at what the two girls said about him and Ken.

“ _Yeah, I hear what they said and it doesn’t matter to me whether those two like Ken-kun more than me, Pharos._ ” said Minato dryly to Pharos (who chuckle at him for a few seconds before he fell silent).

“Now let’s see where to put you, Amada-kun.” said Kanakubo-sensei as he look around for an empty seat for Ken and spotted one behind Minato. “How about that one behind Arisato-kun, Amada-kun?” said Kanakubo-sensei to Ken.

“Sure, sensei. I’ll be going to my seat now.” said Ken as he nodded to Kanakubo-sensei (who nodded back) before he walked past the other students and sat down behind Minato.

As Kanakubo-sensei saw that Ken had already sat down in his desk behind Minato, he then began teaching today’s lesson to the students.

XXXX

**Meanwhile, in another class………**

“Like all of you heard last week, gym class is cancelled today. Instead, I’m supposed to give you all some guidance. The gist is, don’t any of you go around talking about the incident. That’s all. The police are still investigating Kamoshida-sensei, so I can’t say anything myself.” sighed Kawakami-sensei quite heavily and with a slightly tired look on her face to her students. “As a teacher though, I’m ashamed for not having noticed that a student was suffering like that……… I’m not defending him, but as a colleague, he just seemed like……… well, a normal person. Honestly, it still doesn’t feel real. I guess people can have multiple sides to them………”

“The teachers have it rough, huh………?” whisper Morgana pityingly to Akira.

“Yeah, they do, sometimes.” Akira whisper sadly back to Morgana.

“Oh yeah, I just remembered something I learned about psychology. They say that humans have several different personalities hidden in their subconscious.” explained Kawakami-sensei to the class.

“Different personalities………?” said Morgana as he glance thoughtfully at Akira.

“Oh, to be clear, I’m not talking about multiple personality disorder. These different personalities can be a different gender or a different age from you.” Kawakami-sensei continue telling the class. “I mean, if any of you think about how gods and monsters in myths were first based on the human image……… if any of you actually saw one of those personalities with your own eyes, it might look like a monster.”

“Oho……… Do you know what she mean by those words, Akira?” asked Morgana curiously to Akira.

"Yeah, what she just tell us sounds close to the Shadows that we encounter and fought in Kamoshida’s Palace.” replied Akira.

“Hm? You all seem more alert than usual. Did I say something wrong, Kurusu-kun?” asked Kawakami-sensei as she glance and smiled modestly at Akira.

“No, Kawakami-sensei. You didn’t say anything wrong.” replied Akira reassuringly to Kawakami-sensei.

“Well, I’m just saying what I’ve heard. It feels like I just now understood what I learned long ago.” said Kawakami-sensei as she shrugged her shoulders.

“Subconscious personalities……… It’s a fascinating topic, and it has a lot to do with us. That teacher’s surprisingly smart, huh?” whisper Morgana.

“Yeah, she is.” Akira whisper back to Morgana before they fell silent and listen to her teaching quietly.

XXXX

**Lunchtime, near the stairwell………**

“It ain’t much, but we’ve been gettin’ more postings on the Phantom Aficionado Website………” said Ryuji to Akira, Minato, Ann and Morgana as he look and told them about the postings on the website on his phone. “I want to make my friend apologize for not returning the stuff I lend him.” Ugh, deal with that yourself!” said Ryuji as he rolled his eyes at that particular post.

“So, Minato-kun, I heard that there’s another new student transferring here and in your class. Is it true?” asked Ann curiously to Minato.

“Yeah, it’s true, Takamaki-san.” replied Minato as he nodded to Ann.

“For real? Who is he, Arisato?” asked Ryuji.

“His name is Ken Amada and he’s one of my old friends that I tell you guys before.” replied Minato again to Ryuji.

“Really? He’s one of your old friends?” said Morgana.

“Yeah, Morgana.” said Minato as he nodded to Morgana (who fell silent and had a pondering look on his face now).

“Hey, those girls………” said Ann when she noticed 2 girls walking out of their classroom and they decided to listen in on their conversation.

“You know that phantom thieves rumor about stealing Kamoshida’s heart? I wonder if it’s true.” said the long-haired female student.

“It’s got to be made up. Do you seriously believe they exist?” scoffed the short-haired female student skeptically to the long-haired student.

"But look at what happened to Kamoshida.” argued the long-haired student.

“He probably just couldn’t keep hiding it after that girl tried to kill herself.” said the short-haired student callously to the long-haired student.

“Yeah, you might be right. I guess there’s no way they really exist.” sighed the long-haired student in agreement to the short-haired student.

“More importantly, it seriously sucks that our school is gonna be known for stuff like this!” complained the short-haired student.

“I wonder if it’ll affect our college entrance………” said the long-haired student worriedly to the short-haired student before they stopped talking, turned and walked past Akira, his friends and Morgana without noticing them.

“How callous those girls are, talking about Suzui-san and about us like that.” said Akira as he scowled at the 2 departing girls while Ann nodded in agreement with him.

“I know that feeling, Kurusu-kun. But just ignored them.” said Minato as he glance at Akira.

“That’s prolly a normal reaction for now, but……… they’ll see soon enough!” said Ryuji as he shrugged his shoulders. “If we can take care of 2 or 3 more famous guys, people’ll have to believe we exist.” added Ryuji excitedly to them.

“In that case, why don’t we do some more research and check the website a little bit more? Maybe we might find some big shots in it that Ryuji might missed.” suggested Akira.

“That’s a good idea from you, Kurusu-kun. Not bad at all.” said Minato approvingly at Akira’s suggestion.

“Thanks, Arisato-kun.” said Akira thankfully to Minato.

“I already did that a few times already on the website, Kurusu!” said Ryuji as he scowled at Akira.

“So about those big shots……… we don’t have any leads yet, right?” asked Ann as she crossed her arms. “Plus there’s still that lingering rumor about you two threatening Kamoshida too………” added Ann morosely to them.

“Looks like you all just have to live normal, honest school life for the time being.” said Morgana as he popped out of Akira’s bag and glance quite sternly at them. “Still, make sure you all stay alert and prepared just in case anything comes up, alright?”

“Okay, Morgana.” said Akira as he nodded to Morgana.

“I’ll continue to keep an eye out for info on any big shots that might be comin’ around from my phone.” said Ryuji eagerly while he nodded to Akira.

“I’ll be roaming around the cities for any kinds of suspicious activity.” said Minato.

“And I’ll try to dig up some dirt online.” added Ann as she smiled at Akira.

“We went and formed the Phantom Thieves group yesterday, but we can’t even find a target………” said Ryuji as he put his phone back into his pants pocket and scratch his head in disappointment.

“There, there………” said Ann consolingly to Ryuji.

“Come on, Sakamoto-kun. Do you really expect to find a viable target this soon after we take and change Kamoshida’s heart?” said Minato as he rolled his eyes at Ryuji.

“I guess you’re right, Arisato. Sometimes things just don’t go the way we want ‘em to………” sighed Ryuji.

“Come on, you guys. Lunchtime is almost over, let’s head back to class now.” said Akira quietly to them and they nodded to him before they turned and went back into their different classrooms.


	36. Chapter 36

**Inside the principal's office…**

"Excuse me. Did you wish to see me, Principal Kobayakawa?" asked Makoto to Principal Kobayakawa after she came into his office.

"Yes, I did. You saw the state Kamoshida-kun was in, didn't you, Makoto Niijima-san?" replied Principal Kobayakawa. "It's as if his personality has completely changed. Something is definitely wrong here."

"I'm not sure I follow…" said Makoto in confusion to Principal Kobayakawa.

"From what I've heard, it appears as though some students were meddling in his business. If they did something to him… Who could they be…?" said Principal Kobayakawa suspiciously to Makoto.

"Are you saying that these students may have caused Kamoshida-sensei to change…?" said Makoto as she raised and placed her hand under her chin while she think about it.

"That is what I wish to know… Even if it takes some probing into student matters… I would like you to look into this matter for me and also, I would like you to ask Minato Arisato on whether he can help you with it." said Principal Kobayakawa firmly to Makoto.

"It is true that there are many rumors regarding Kamoshida-sensei, but… Do you mean all of this talk about those Phantom Thieves?" asked Makoto.

"It is undeniable that Kamoshida-kun has "changed" in some way. I'd like to have a grasp of the cause." said Principal Kobayakawa as he closed his eyes and had a slightly scowl look on his face. "This shall also ensure that I handle the mass media and the police in the correct fashion."

"Oh…" said Makoto as she lowered her hand from her chin.

"I will continue speaking to Kamoshida-kun myself. Unless you or Arisato-kun find whomever did this to him, these irresponsible rumors will likely never died down. Don't you agreed, Niijima-san?" said Principal Kobayakawa.

"Yes, sir…" said Makoto as she look down at the floor.

"You have been at the top spot since day one. Your conduct is good, and teachers favour you a lot. I could write you a letter of recommendation for any colleges of your choosing, Niijima-san. And I'll also do the same for Arisato-kun if he agrees to help you out." said Principal Kobayakawa as he smiled at her.

"Th-Thank you…" said Makoto with a slightly surprise then flatter look on her face.

"Your lineage must certainly play a part in this excellence. Your older sister is still young, yet she holds an admirable position at the Public Prosecutor Office, no…? While Arisato-kun is a close friend of Mitsuru Kirijo of the Kirijo group, isn't it…?" said Principal Kobayakawa as he continue to smiled at her (which surprises Makoto even more when he suddenly talk about her older sister and about Minato being friends with Mitsuru Kirijo). "If something disappointing were to happen here, that wouldn't reflect very well on your sister or his friend… Do you understand?"

"… Yes." sighed Makoto as a resigned look appear on her face.

"How wise. It's no wonder you are our student council president. I'd appreciate it if you and Arisato-kun looked into this as soon as possible. I ask that you tell him now so that you two can begin at once." said Principal Kobayakawa proudly to Makoto.

"Yes. If you'll excuse me then." said Makoto as she bowed to Principal Kobayakawa before she turned around and left the principal's office, not knowing that he called someone else after she left the office. Soon after Makoto stepped out of the principal's office, she bumped into Minato.

"Oh, sorry about that. I didn't see you there, Makoto-san." said Minato apologetically to Makoto.

"It's fine. Just be more careful next time, Minato-kun. Also, perfect timing because there's something I wanted to tell you." said Makoto.

"Oh? Like what?" said Minato as he tilted his head.

"Well, like Principal Kobayakawa's request. He wanted me to look into the matter of the Phantom Thieves to search for the students responsible for changing Kamoshida-sensei's heart among all of the students here and he also wanted me to ask on whether you'll agreed to help me or not." said Makoto.

" _He what!? What kind of principal is he, telling Makoto-san to do this and told her to ask me to help too? Looks like I've to tell the others about it so that we'll be careful around Makoto-san and the principal._ " thought Minato in surprise, disbelief then anger at the principal for giving such a task to Makoto.

"So, what's your answer, Minato-kun?" said Makoto.

"Hm… Will you let me think about it, Makoto-san? Because lunch time's almost over and we need to get back to class now." said Minato.

"Right. Let's go." said Makoto as she nodded to Minato before they turned and went toward their classroom.

XXXX

**Inside the classroom…**

As Hiruta-sensei is busy teaching the class, both Akira and Ann's phones started buzzing and they quietly pull their phones out to see and read the messages.

RS: _The police are really here… I saw 'em at the entrance._

AT: _I saw them too! They were talking to the teachers and students too!_

AK: _If any of them came and talk to us, be sure that we don't say anything suspicious or weird to them, alright?_

MA: _Yeah, we got it. And speaking of police talking to the teachers and students, I've just heard from a classmate of mine that Principal Kobayakawa has told her to look into the matter of Phantom Thieves and he also had her ask me on whether I'll help her or not._

RS: _He what!? That no good, fat-ass principal…_

AT: _That doesn't sound good. I hope neither of them don't find out that we're responsible and that you won't consider helping her out…_

MA: _Don't worry. Because I don't intend to help her with it._

RS: _I'm pretty sure we'll be fine. They've no proof that it was us._

AK: _Someone sure sounds a bit overconfident. But we'll try to not worry about it._

RS: _Yeah, that's right!_

MA: _You guys are just terrible and not fully alert sometimes._

AT: _But I mean, haven't rumors been going around about how you guys threatened Kamoshida?_

RS: _This world's Kamoshida shouldn't know anything about what actually happened to him though._

AT: _Still…_

RS: _We did what was right. Don't go freaking out over some label._

AT: _I guess that's true…_

RS: _Man, I really can't wait to keep living this double life! All right, Kurusu! We're gonna be counting on you!_

After Akira and Ann are done in messaging with Ryuji and Minato, they quietly put their phones back into their blazer pockets and resumed listening to Hiruta-sensei's lecture.

XXXX

**After school.........**

As Akira packed up and tucked Morgana into his school bag, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him, look up and saw that it's Mishima.

"…Hey." greeted Mishima.

"Uh, hello. What do you want?" asked Akira.

"Have you seen that Phantom Aficionado Website?" asked Mishima.

"Uh, yeah. I've seen and heard of it." replied Akira as he nodded to Mishima. "Why?"

"I'm the one who started it." said Mishima (which surprises Akira) as he scratch the right side of his head with his fingers a little before he suddenly move closer to Akira.

"Whoa. Personal space, buddy, please." said Akira as he move backward a little from Mishima.

"Um… You guys are the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?" whisper Mishima curiously and a little hopefully to Akira.

"W-What…? What makes you say that to me?" Akira whisper back to him while feeling mentally shock that he knew that's he's a phantom thief.

"Sorry." said Mishima when he realised how close he is to Akira and quickly backed up away from him. "Although… if things really are as I think, I should keep it a secret. Kamoshida used me, and I did some horrible things to you and to the others." added Mishima sullenly to Akira.

"… It's fine, I don't blame you for doing that to me and to the others anymore." said Akira softly to Mishima.

"I know you do, Kurusu-kun. This isn't much of a way for me to apologize for it… But if there's anything that I can do to help, just let me know!" said Mishima as he crossed his arms and glance resolutely at Akira.

"That's great, but…" said Akira before Mishima cut him off.

"There are many more evil adults outside of Kamoshida. But I'm sure the Phantom Thieves will do something… They can't let this end after just one target." said Mishima as he briefly look away and furrowed his eyebrow in anger before he glance back at Akira. "That's why I wanted to make a forum where people could post their problems. There are probably a lot of people who have high hopes for the Phantom Thieves next more. So I've also implemented an anonymous poll on the side." added Mishima as he pull out his phone, turned it on and show his website to Akira.

"Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves, or not?" Mishima recited some of the words on his phone to Akira. "I… hope someday my forum is filled with supportful posts. I'd really like to help out in the Phantom Thieves's acts of justice!… Can I, please?" asked Mishima hopefully to Akira.

"… Very well. If you want to do it so much then do it." replied Akira.

"Thank you, Kurusu-kun! I'll live up to your expectations… I promise." said Mishima happily and gratefully to Akira (who smiled before he froze as he sensed abundantly high expectations from Mishima, felt the time stopped and heard the same girl's voice spoke to her in his head). 

_I am thou, thou art I…_

_Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion_

_That breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Moon Persona,_

_I have obtained the wings of blessing,_

_That shall lead to freedom and new power…_

After the girl's voice fell silent, Akira look up and saw a green card with the pale yellow figure of a crescent moon in the middle of it and with the black figures of two sticks and a lobster at the top of it appeared and formed above Mishima's head before the card fell and landed on his outstretch hand before he quickly put the new card into his blazer pocket just as time resumed.

"…See you." said Mishima before he run past him out of the classroom. Soon after he left, Akira saw Ryuji, Ann and Minato came into the classroom before they approach him.

"We heard all that, Kurusu." said Ryuji. "Geez… It was a little awkward tryin' to figure out when to walk over here."

"So that forum is Mishima-kun's…" said Ann with a surprise look on her face.

"Has he figured out our identities?" asked Morgana with a wide-eyed look on his face.

"Most probably. He did say to him that he and us are the phantom thieves." replied Minato sarcastically to Morgana (which make him scowled at Minato).

"Even so, I think it'll be fine. He seemed to be playing it cool." said Ann as she shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess we should have a little chat about this and about Miss Prez later." said Ryuji.

"Yeah, you're right." said Minato as he nodded to Ryuji.

"I will say though… A forum where people can post problems may prove unexpectedly useful." said Morgana as he smiled at them.

"True." said Akira as he nodded in agreement to Morgana.

"Anyways, we gotta get lookin' for a new target." said Ryuji a little urgingly to them.

"And we need to stay sharp until we managed to find one. Once we do, we'll have to head into another Palace, so we should prep our equipment and-" added Ann.

"Wait, oh CRAP!" yell Ryuji suddenly to them, cutting off Ann's words and making her, Akira, Morgana and Minato jumped a little from his outburst.

"Geez, pipe down, will you?" said Minato as he scowled at Ryuji.

"He's right! What's with you!?" said Ann as she scowled at Ryuji as well.

"D-D-Don't we have exams coming up!?" said Ryuji in horror to them.

"Yeah, we do." said Akira as he scowled at Ryuji too.

"…Judging by that reaction, I'd assume you're going to struggle this time too?" said Ann in an unimpressed tone of voice to Ryuji.

"I-It's not like you're any better! All you're good at is English!" retorted Ryuji indignantly to Ann.

"I'd rather that than be bad at every other subjects!" Ann retorted back to him.

"Hey, you guys, pipe down already." said Minato slightly sternly to them both but they ignored him.

"Even your Japanese is questionable at best, Ryuji." said Morgana mischievously to Ryuji.

"What's questionable is whether you're really even a human." said Ryuji as he glance at Morgana while briefly kicked the floor before he glance and smiled at Akira. "…Good comeback, huh, leader?" asked Ryuji.

"Uh…" replied Akira.

"…Let's discuss this with our fists!" snapped Morgana as he glared at Ryuji.

"Bring it, cat!" said Ryuji as he crouched down in preparation to pounce Morgana.

"Alright, that's enough now, you two!" snapped Minato as he scowled darkly at Morgana while smacking the back of Ryuji's head with his hand, which make Ryuji yelp in pain as he rubbed his head from Minato smacking him while Morgana shrunk back into Akira's bag before he make them both apologize to each other then all of them left the school together and head home.

 


	37. Chapter 37

**A few minutes later, in the subway station of Aoyama-Itchome………**

“ _You know, you and your new Phantom Thief friends did really good about Kamoshida’s shadow by changing his heart, stealing his desire, make his palace disappear and now all those guys and girls who got sexually harassed and abused harshly by him can rest easy now. Same goes for your teacher, Kanakubo-sensei, Minato._ ” said Pharos mentally and proudly to Minato.

“ _Yeah, I know, Pharos._ ” said Minato mentally back to Pharos.

“ _So what’re you gonna do now before you went home?_ ” asked Pharos curiously to Minato.

“ _Hm……… Guess I’ll have something to eat and drink before I head home because I’m starting to feel hungry, Pharos._ ” replied Minato as he briefly rubbed his growling stomach.

“ _Oh dear. Are you trying to run them ragged or something? Your stomach is like a black hole that suck in everything!_ ” groaned Pharos in exasperation at Minato.

“ _Aw, thanks for your kind words, Pharos._ ” said Minato sarcastically to Pharos.

“ _Yeah right, Minato………_ ” said Pharos sarcastically back to Minato before they fell silent when they saw the young detective, Goro Akechi standing against the wall behind the passengers and staring at a small opened black leather book on his right hand while his left hand is carrying a light grey briefcase with the huge A alphabet on it. “ _Hey, isn’t that the detective guy named Goro Akechi who’s also the other Wild Card like you and Akira Kurusu, Minato?_ ” added Pharos.

“ _Yeah, he is, Pharos._ ” said Minato.

“ _So what’re you gonna do now? Are you still going to do what you initially wanted to do or something else?_ ” asked Pharos.

“ _Of course I’m still going to eat, Pharos. But now I think I’m going to invite him to eat and talk to him._ ” replied Minato.

“ _Talk to him or spy on him, which is it, Minato?_ ” said Pharos coolly to Minato (who didn’t answer his question as he make his way toward Akechi and stop beside him).

“Hello there, Akechi-kun. What a surprise to see you here.” said Minato after he greeted Akechi politely.

“Hm? Oh, it’s you, Arisato-kun and nice to see you again.” said Akechi as he glance and smiled politely at Minato while closing the book that he’s staring at and putting it into his right coat pocket. “By the way, I heard from Mitsuyoshi-san and saw the news on TV about the heinous things that the former PE teacher and coach, Suguru Kamoshida did to Mitsuyoshi-san’s brother, Kyosuke-san who’s a teacher there and those poor male and female students in Shujin before his arrest. My condolences for them.” added Akechi sadly to Minato.

“Yeah, it’s been real bad for them but now I’m sure they’re glad that Kamoshida’s been arrested and taken by Tokugawa-san to the police station. And also, thanks for your condolences to them, Akechi-kun.” said Minato.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right, Arisato-kun.” said Akechi almost quietly to him.

“Uh huh.” said Minato as he slowly nodded to Akechi. “By the way, I was thinking of having something to eat in Central Square in Shibuya before I head home. Do you have time and wanted to join me for it, Akechi-kun?”

"That's kind of you to ask me to join you but I've to declined because I'm........." said Akechi, declining Minato's offer to join him to eat something before he fell silent and in embarrassment when his stomach choose that moment to let out quite a loud growl.

"Are you sure about declining it now because it seems to me that your stomach answer for you, Akechi-kun." said Minato as he smirk at Akechi while Pharos let out a laugh inside him.

“……… Fine. I suppose I'll have a meal, Arisato-kun. Very well then, I’ll join you.” said Akechi as he gave a small smile to Minato.

“That’s good to hear. Let us be off then, Akechi-kun.” said Minato as he smiled back at Akechi before the train came, stopped in the station and opened it’s doors to let the passengers and both Minato and Akechi to went into the train before it close it’s doors and left the station.

XXXX

**Few minutes later, inside Big Bang Burger in Shibuya………**

“Ah, that Big Bang challenge burger was quite big and delicious and it’s done it’s job in hitting the spot in my empty stomach.” sighed Minato with a satisfied look on his face after he finish the huge meat, cheese and veggie burger that he ordered.

“I can’t believe that you order such a huge burger and actually finish all of it, Arisato-kun. How were you still able to stay so slim if you ate this much?” said Akechi in a surprise and shock tone of voice to Minato after he ate and finish the regular-sized chicken and veggie burger that he ordered.

“Simple. It’s because I had a black hole for a stomach and because I wanted to try the challenge out, Akechi-kun.” said Minato as he shrugged his shoulders.

“ _You got that right and I’m happy and surprise to see that you won the challenge, Minato._ ” snorted Pharos.

“ _Why thank you, Pharos._ ” said Minato.

“Black hole for a stomach, that’s quite the hilarious joke that you just spoke, Arisato-kun.” chuckled Akechi in amusement at Minato’s joke.

Both Minato and Akechi then spend the next 6 minutes talking some more and Minato became friends and establish the Justice Social Link with Akechi before they stood up, pay for their foods and drinks, left Big Bang Burger and bade farewell to each other before they head into the station and take different trains home.

XXXX

**Another few minutes later, in the Niijima apartment………**

“Welcome back, Minato-kun. Where were you because you came back a bit late tonight.” asked Makoto as she glance at Minato.

“I’m back, Makoto-san. And I’m sorry for coming back a bit late tonight. The reason why is because I met Goro Akechi in the station and decided to ask and invite him to eat some burgers at Big Bang Burger in Shibuya.” replied Minato.

“I see. By the way, you told me that you’ll think about the request from Principal Kobayakawa that I told you in Shujin a few hours ago, Minato-kun. And what’s your answer?” asked Makoto again to Minato.

“Yeah, I did say that to you and my answer is no, Makoto-san. I refuse to accept the request from Principal Kobayakawa.” replied Minato bluntly to Makoto.

“Huh? But why?” said Makoto in confusion to Minato.

“I just don’t want to, that’s all. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be taking a bath then going to bed.” said Minato bluntly to Makoto before he went into the bathroom to take a bath, dry himself up with a towel, went into his room to put on his pajamas before he fell asleep.


	38. Chapter 38

**The next day………**

When both Minato and Makoto were on their way to Shujin and head into the school early, they saw Ushimaru-sensei standing and berating some male students about cheating in tests inside the school before he noticed them both, dismiss the male students, told both Minato and Makoto to stop before he tell Minato that Principal Kobayakawa wanted to see him in his office. Minato nodded to Ushimaru-sensei before he went upstairs to the second floor where the principal office is while Makoto went to her class.

“ _I wonder why the principal called for you, Minato._ ” said Pharos curiously to Minato.

“ _I think I know on why he’d called for me but I’d rather not jumped into conclusions until I’m sure of it, Pharos._ ” said Minato as he arrived, opened and entered the principal office.

“ _I suppose you’re right, Minato._ ” said Pharos before he fell silent.

“You asked to see me, principal? About what, exactly?” asked Minato coolly to the principal.

“Yes, I did, Arisato-kun. And it’s about what Niijima-san told me yesterday about you rejecting the request to look into the matter of the Phantom Thieves. Why do you not want to look into it, Arisato-kun?” said principal Kobayakawa.

“Simple. Because I don’t want to, principal.” said Minato bluntly to the principal.

“………Still, won’t you give it some more thoughts, Arisato-kun? If either you or Niijima-san could look into the matter of the phantom thieves and swiftly solved it then the rumors of this school will go away and the students will be alright. Once it does, I’ll handle the mass media and the police in the correct fashion and I’ll write and provide a letter of recommendation for you for a job well done, Arisato-kun.” said principal Kobayakawa as he gave a small smile to Minato.

“ _………I get it now. So that is his true reason in getting me and Makoto-san to look into the matter of the phantom thieves. He reminds me of that Ekoda-sensei back when I was a student in Gekkoukan high._ ” thought Minato coldly in his mind at principal Kobayakawa before he think back about the time that he, Yukari and Junpei saw Mitsuru confronted Ekoda-sensei about the absence of Fuuka Yamagishi after she got Natsuki Moriyama to confess on what she and her friends did to Fuuka inside the faculty office.

XXXX

**Flashback, inside the faculty office in Gekkoukan high………**

_“I see. By the way, Ekoda-sensei……… All this time, you’ve attributed Yamagishi’s absences to “illness”. But in reality, she was missing. Surely you must have been aware of that……… What was your intention?” said Mitsuru as she glance at Ekoda-sensei._

_“I was thinking of the students, of course.” said Ekoda-sensei as he shrugged his shoulders and glance at Mitsuru. “You childrens may not understand, but we’ve to consider the future of everyone affected.”_

_“You mean, you choose not to report this to the police for the “good of the class”.” said Mitsuru._

_“It-It was in her best interest. I wouldn’t want her records to be stained by something like this. Her parents agree to it too!” said Ekoda-sensei._

_“So to protect your career, you ignored your responsibility as a teacher……… How despicable………!” snapped Mitsuru coldly at Ekoda-sensei._

_“I-I didn’t……… I-I was just………” stammer Ekoda-sensei before he fell silent and look down with a guilty look on his face._

**Flashback ends**

XXXX

“Is that so, principal? Then I’m sorry to tell you that my answer stays the same. I don’t want and refused the request to look into the phantom thieves matter. Now if there’s nothing else that you wanted to tell me then excuse me because I’m late for class.” said Minato coldly to principal Kobayakawa (which make him flinch at his cold tone of voice) as he turned around to open the door, left the office (and ignoring the principal calling him to come back), head into the classroom, sat in his seat and spend the next few hours listening to the lectures of the teachers while writing homework in his notebooks until school ended for the day then he packed up his things and went home with Makoto.


	39. Chapter 39

**A few days later………**

Both Akira and Minato spend the next few days practically doing the same things like meeting, establishing and levelling up their social links with each other and also with others like Sojiro-san, Takemi-sensei, Iwai-san, Kanakubo-sensei, Mishima-kun, Akechi-kun (who slowly opened up about his true self to Minato), Yukari, Aigis, Ann and Ryuji (who took and introduced both Akira and Minato to “Ogikubo” ramen shop and is shock to see and find out on how big Minato’s appetite is), got themselves different night jobs like the beef bowl shop named “Ore No Beko” inside the Central Street of Shibuya for Akira (where he met and briefly talk to an elderly politician man) and the flower shop in the underground mall inside the subway station for Minato until Monday where they decided to meet up with their friends on the school’s rooftop after their class ends.

“None of these posts are any good. Everyone’s just bitchin’ about their parents or their boyfriends and girlfriends.” said Ryuji as he glance sullenly at the Phantom Aficionado Website on his phone. “There ain’t even a hint of a hint about a new Palace………”

“It’s only been 4, 5 days since we change Kamoshida’s heart and take down his Palace, Ryuji. Don’t be so impatient, okay? I’m sure something will come up on that website eventually.” said Akira in an exasperated tone of voice to Ryuji.

“Akira right so stop complaining and checking out your phone for the next target or palace, Ryuji.” said Minato in agreement with Akira while rolling his eyes at Ryuji.

“But still, we can’t get everything online……… Finding a post with a name and location is asking a lot………” said Ann as she shake her head glumly to them.

“Guess we just gotta find one ourselves then!” suggested Ryuji.

“Are you seriously suggesting we look for a target that even the police have overlooked?” said Morgana as he glance at Ryuji with an unimpressed look on his face.

“ _He’s got a one track mind, kinda reminds me of your senpai, Akihiko-san attitude._ ” said Pharos.

“ _Yeah, I guess in a way, Pharos._ ” said Minato.

“………Yeah, you two are prolly right. We should prolly just hold off ‘till exams are done with, huh?” sighed Ryuji. “We can wait and see for a little longer, then worry about comin’ up empty-handed if it happens………” added Ryuji to them before he got cut off by the sound of someone opening the door to the rooftop, which surprises him, Akira, Ann, Minato and Morgana before Morgana quickly jump off the desk he’s sitting on toward another desk then jumped up onto the large air-conditioning unit, out of their sights.

“Oh………” said Ann when she and the others saw Makoto approaching and stopping in front of her and the others.

“ _Makoto-san? What is she doing here? Don’t tell me that the principal told her to come here or something?_ ” thought Minato as he glance in silence at Makoto (who also glance in surprise then disapproval at him with Akira, Ryuji and Ann).

“This place is off-limits, you know. So what are the 4 of you doing up here?” said Makoto as she raised her eyebrows questioning at them.

“What are we doing, you ask? We’re talking, of course.” said Akira.

“……… Yeah, what he said. We’ll get outta here once we’re done chattin’.” replied Ryuji as he scowled at Makoto. “Anyways, what’s Miss Student Council President want with us?”

“The troublemaker, the girl of rumor, one of the transfer students and my classmate and finally the infamous second transfer student with a criminal record……… Interesting combination.” said Makoto calmly to them as she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

“Great way to start a conversation………” muttered Ann darkly under her breath.

“ _No kidding._ ” said Pharos in agreement with Ann.

“By the way……… It seems as though you got to know Kamoshida-san pretty well.” said Makoto as she glance at Akira.

“No, not really. I’m not a sports kind of guy.” said Akira coolly to Makoto.

“Yeah, y’know he’s only been here a month or so.” said Ryuji, defending Akira.

“What’s with the questions, Makoto-san? It’s like you’re interrogating him or something.” said Minato coolly to Makoto.

“We heard that Kamoshida-sensei used a volleyball team member to spread details of your past record on the school’s net. Don’t you hate him for doing so? Kamoshida-sensei, I mean.” asked Makoto at Akira as she ignored Minato’s words.

“What about you? Why are you still calling him Kamoshida-sensei after he confessed to each of the terrible things he did to the students that day during the morning assembly?” Akira retorted coldly back to Makoto.

“I………” said Makoto, flinching and taken aback by his cold words.

“What’s all this about? Our friend here’s an upstanding guy.” said Ryuji as he leaned forward a little and resting his elbows on his knees.

“I don’t mean to offend him or anything. Many students have been shaken up by what happened with Kamoshida-sen……… Kamoshida.” said Makoto as she composed herself and crossed her arms over her chest. “Plus, the rumors about those odd, calling card-esque posting on the school’s bulletin boards aren’t going away either.” added Makoto (which make both Ann and Ryuji briefly glance and exchange looks with each other).

“I didn’t expect someone like you would care about that tactless stuff, Niijima-senpai.” said Ann with a surprise look on her face.

“I dunno that it was tactless………” muttered Ryuji under his breath before he glance at Makoto. “Anyways, we done here? We can’t leave if you keep talkin’ to us.”

“At least try to understand my position. Being forced to deal with this horseplay………” said Makoto as she scowled darkly at them.

“Horseplay………!?” said Ann as she glared incredulously at Makoto.

“If that’s what you think and were forced to do then why don’t you just stop and tell whoever it is that told you to do this horseplay thing that you don’t want to do it anymore, Makoto-san?” said Minato sternly to Makoto.

“How easy for you to say it out like that, Minato-san.” said Makoto sternly back to Minato. “Ah yes, by the way……… It’s been decided that this place will be closed off due to the incident. Since I’ve heard from some of the students that some people are coming up here without permission, after all……… Sorry to interrupt you all.” added Makoto as she tucked another strand of hair behind her ear and gave them a thin smile before she turned around and walked away from them.

“What was that about?” said Ann as she stood up and glared at the door where Makoto just went through while Morgana jumped down from his hiding place and landed on the table.

“………She’s on to us. We should be cautious of her since she seems rather sharp.” said Morgana grimly to them.

“She really pisses me off!” growled Ryuji.

“Calm down, Ryuji. We need to be careful from now on to prevent her from figuring out our other identities and what we did to Kamoshida.” said Akira calmly to Ryuji.

“He’s right. Besides, it sounds like she’s forced to do it, in a way.” said Minato.

“………Fine. Talk about a pain in the ass.” grumbled Ryuji.

“That reminds me……… Study hard, especially you, Ryuji.” said Morgana warningly to Ryuji. “There are bound to be traps that requires our brains to solved them. Keep in mind that everything you all do in your daily lives has an impact on your abilities.”

“True, studying won’t be so bad if we just think of it as helping us prepare to be better phantom thieves.” said Ann as she nodded to Morgana.

“In that case, how about we do a group study to helped with each other studies even more?” suggested Minato.

“You know what, that’s not a bad idea from you, Minato.” said Akira as he gave a small approving smile at Minato (who nodded to him).

“I guess you all got points to yourselves……… But man, it’s just so lame……… I was all fired up about helpin’ people, not about studyin’………” sighed Ryuji in frustration to them.

“ _Now he reminds me of Junpei who also had no love for studying unless being threaten “execution” by Mitsuru-san._ ” said Pharos.

“ _Yeah, Pharos._ ” said Minato.

“Well, I do have somewhere interesting to show you all beforehand. You guys did originally promise to help me out with my mission, after all.” said Morgana.

“Yeah, we did, Morgana. So where is this interesting place that you wanted to show us?” asked Akira.

“It’s at the station square in Shibuya. Come on and follow me!” replied Morgana as he jumped off the table, went through the door and left the rooftop. Akira, Minato, Ann and Ryuji immediately left the rooftop, grabbed their bags in their classrooms and they left the school and head toward the station to take the train to Shibuya.

XXXX

**Outside the entrance of the partially crowded subway station of Shibuya………**

“What’re you bringin’ us here for?” asked Ryuji as he glance up at the ledge where Morgana is lying on while he sat on the ground and leaning against a small building next to the station while Akira stand and leaned his back against the ledge next to Morgana to his left and both Ann and Minato stand to his right.

“Just do as I told you.” replied Morgana as he glance down at Ryuji (who grumbled under his breath as he, Akira, Minato and Ann pull out their phones and pressed the Phantom Aficionado Website).

“All right, I’ve got the Phantom Aficionado Website up. Now what?” asked Ryuji.

“Look for a post with a full name in it.” Morgana instructed Ryuji.

“I already said there’s no info on any big shots. Don’t you remember?” sighed Ryuji as he rolled his eyes at Morgana but he listens to him and scroll down the website to search for a post with a full name in it. “But man, people actually go put someone’s real name on here. That’s some scary shit………”

“Here’s something, “ _He won’t listens to what I say_ ”……… No wait, there’s no name on this one.” said Ann absentmindedly to them.

“ _Someone bumped into me and insist that I apologize to him_ ”……… Nope, no name on this one either.” said Akira as he shake his head.

“ _Someone’s bad-mouthin’ me in online chat rooms_ ”……… This one’s got a name.” said Ryuji as he raised his phone to show them the post he just read.

“ _Someone make fun of me and stole my lunch_ ”……… This one’s got a name too.” said Minato.

“Ignore those. Aren’t there any posts about serious trouble?” said Morgana.

“How about this one, guys? “ _I don’t know what to do about my ex who’s stalking me. His name is Natsuhiko Nakanohara."_ It says he’s a teller at City Hall.” said Ann.

“Heh, that’s quite a long and mouthful name that guy have.” said Akira sarcastically about the guy’s name, which make Minato snort a little at his sarcastic attitude.

“A government worker stalkin’ someone………?” said Ryuji with a disgusted look on his face.

“That should be a suitable target. All right, now get the Meta-Nav ready.” said Morgana as he nodded to Ryuji.

“We’re just gonna jump right into a Palace? Fine by me!” said Ryuji with an excited grin on his face as he activated the Meta-Nav per Morgana’s order.

“ _Someone sure is excited about it._ ” thought Minato as he rolled his eyes a little at Ryuji’s excitement.

“Hey, what happened to all that talk of “unanimous decision”, Ryuji? What do you think we should do, Akira?” asked Ann as she glance at Akira.

“Let’s do it.” replied Akira without hesitation.

“That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” said Ryuji as he glance and smiled widely at Akira.

“OK then. Let’s go!” said Ann in agreement to them.

“We need a name and a place, right? So the name is………” said Ryuji before he got cut off by Morgana.

“Actually, we don’t need a location this time. Just enter exactly what I say. The keyword is……… “ _Mementos_ ”.” said Morgana.

“Mementos? Isn’t that what you mention to us before in Kamoshida’s Palace?” said Akira in confusion at Morgana.

“Yeah, that’s right.” said Morgana as he nodded to Akira.

“Huh? What’re you tryin’ to pull?” said Ryuji suspiciously at Morgana.

“Just listen to me. It should work……… I think.” said Morgana.

“Geez……… that again? Uhhh……… “M-e-m-e-n-t-o-s”, was it?” sighed Ryuji as he entered the word into the search bar.

“Candidate found.” said the robotic female voice from the Meta-Nav.

“We got a hit!?” said Ryuji in surprise as he stood up from the ground.

“For real!?” said Ann in surprise as well.

“Obviously, you two.” said Minato in a deadpan tone of voice to both Ryuji and Ann (who scowled at him).

“Just as I thought!” purred Morgana happily as their surroundings fizzed, warped and turned red, purple and black and Ryuji’s phone transported them straight into another world.


	40. Chapter 40

Soon after they entered the Metaverse world, Akira, Ann and Ryuji gasped and look around in shock when they saw that all of the other people walking around them had disappeared while Minato briefly widened his eyes in surprise at seeing the same scene they see and Morgana look at them with a calm look on his face.

“Everyone disappeared………! It……… kind of feels like I’m walking on air………?” said Ann in a shock tone of voice to them.

“Is this place truly the Metaverse world? But the place looks the same as the one in the real world………” muttered Akira to himself.

“ _This place feels similar yet also different from when you and your friends entered and explore Tartarus at night back in Tatsumi Port Island a few years ago, isn’t it, Minato?_ ” said Pharos.

“ _Yeah, Pharos._ ” said Minato in agreement with Pharos.

“Is this that Nakanohara guy’s Palace?” asked Ryuji as he glance at Morgana.

“That’s half right, but half wrong.” replied Morgana in slight amusement to Ryuji. “This is a type of Palace, but it’s different from Kamoshida’s Palace. Come on, let’s head down. The Shadows here lurked underground.” added Morgana.

“Why is that, Morgana?” asked Akira curiously to Morgana.

“I don’t quite understand why. It may be because they’re drawn to something.” replied Morgana.

“ _They’re drawn to something in the Mementos underground? What could that something or someone be? Can you sense what it is, Pharos?_ ” thought Minato curiously to himself before he tell Pharos to sense it.

“ _Already did but there’s a strong barrier blocking me so I can’t. I’m sorry but I guess it could be anything, Minato._ ” said Pharos sadly to Minato.

“ _I see. At least you try, Pharos._ ” said Minato reassuringly to Pharos.

“Underground………? How are we going to get there?” asked Ann.

“How, Lady Ann? You all use it everyday on your way to school. Follow me!” replied Morgana as he nodded to them before he turned and run down the stairs and they immediately run and follow behind him.

XXXX

**Inside Mementos………**

“The hell is this place………?” said Skull as he, Joker, Panther and Seraph look around the almost crimson-coloured subway station of Shibuya that had dim-looking lights hanging and swaying slightly on the ceiling above them, several televisions screen showing nothing but static buzzing and several mass of growing dark red vines on the floors, pillars and on the ceiling with worry looks on their faces (while Mona glance at them in silence) before Skull turned to glance at Joker, Panther and Seraph as he suddenly took a step back in surprise. “Wait, our clothes change!?” added Skull to them.

“The Shadows knows we’re here!?” said Panther, surprised as well.

“Since the moment we stepped in.” said Mona.

“You should have told us earlier!” complain Skull as he scowled at Mona.

“He didn’t because neither you nor Panther ask him before we stepped in and he already told us that there are Shadows in here so keep your comments to yourselves, please.” said Seraph slightly coldly to both Skull and Panther (which make them scowled at him before they fell silent).

“Seraph’s got a point, besides, we’re still safe right here.” said Mona reassuringly to them. “I’ve come to investigate this place a number of times before I met you guys. Shadows never come up to this floor. But it’s a different story once you all go down. This place is simply teeming with them.”

“Then we just have to be more alert and careful when we head down, isn’t it, Mona?” asked Joker.

“Yep, you’re right.” replied Mona as he nodded to Joker.

“More importantly, what is this “Mementos” place!? It’s about time you start explaining.” demanded Panther.

“Mementos is……… everyone’s Palace.” replied Mona as he placed his paws on his hips.

“Huh? Whaddya mean “everyone’s”………?” said Skull confusingly to Mona.

“When you say and mean “everyone”, do you mean “everyone” in Tokyo or “everyone” in all of Japan?” said Joker in a disbelief then shock tone of voice to Mona (who nodded to him).

“Oh dear……… That’s a lot of people.” said Seraph in disbelief as well.

“ _No kidding._ ” said Pharos.

“Exactly as you two thinks, Joker, Seraph. A Palace as grand as the previous castle only forms when a person’s wishes are extremely distorted. So, instead of many individual Palaces, the general public has one gigantic shared Palace. That’s where we’re now……… Mementos.” explain Mona even more to them.

“Now that you mention it, this place feels a bit different from Kamoshida’s Palace………” said Panther as she take another look around the place.

“When you say shared……… you mean they’re all put together? Even though they’re just strangers………?” asked Skull warily at Mona.

“Think of it as the collective unconscious……… No, never mind. You wouldn’t understand that.” replied Mona despondently to Skull.

“ _The collective unconscious of people, huh? Sounds like something that Igor would say._ ” thought Seraph with a pondering look on his face at Mona’s words.

“So what you’re saying is……… Using this place, we can change the hearts of people who don’t have Palaces of their own?” asked Panther with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

“Correct! The steps to do so and slightly different though.” replied Mona as he glance and smiled at Panther.

“But this place looks pretty huge. Are we gonna be able to get around just by walkin’………?” said Skull questioningly to Mona (who began walking a few feet away from them, stopped and turned to glance at them).

“It seems the time has finally come………” said Mona dramatically to them.

“Huh?” said Seraph.

“Time for what?” asked Joker.

“Watch. Morganaaaa……… Transfoooooorm!” exclaimed Mona quite loudly to them as he do a power ranger pose before he jumped up into the air and literally transform into a black bus (which had a yellow stripe extending from it’s hood down to it’s rear, blue orbs-like eyes as headlights in front of it, with the numbers 2-22 on it’s license plate, a golden cat brand logo above it and with a cat tail swaying left and right in the back near the exhaust pipe) which make Joker, Skull and Panther gaped in shock unison and make Seraph raised his eyebrows in brief surprise then awed at Mona’s transformation.

“Wh-What? Th-This………” said Joker.

“Come now, Panther. Ladies first.” purred Mona.

“A car………!?” said Panther, flabbergasted.

“No way!” said Skull in disbelief.

“ _Woah. A cat literally transforming into a bus. I’ll admit, it’s quite a surprise to me._ ” thought Seraph to himself.

“ _I think it’s hilarious and besides, wouldn’t him turning into a bus makes it easy for you all to explore Mementos?_ ” said Pharos.

“ _Yeah, you’re right, Pharos._ ” said Seraph in agreement with Pharos.

“This comes from the way cognition materializes in the Metaverse, plus a bit of extra training. It’s not dissimilar to how you guys transform.” explain Mona.

“You turnin’ into a car is totally different than our clothes changin’!” yell Skull as he briefly flailed his arms around.

“For some reason, “cats turning into buses” is an extremely widespread cognition among the general public.” explain Mona.

“ _Ah, I see. So that’s how he’s able to turned into a bus. It’s because of the general public thinking and spreading the widespread cognition of “cats turning into buses”._ ” thought Seraph with a nod of his head.

“But still, why a bus though?” asked Panther.

“………No idea.” replied Mona as he jumped a little.

“Wait! Why didn’t you do this at the castle!?” interjected Skull before he make his way toward the Mona bus, opened the door and went in.

“I would have if I could!” snapped Mona in slight annoyance at Skull. “But that castle was cramped, there were tons of stairs, and no way this fits on top of a chandelier!”

“ _That’s true. If only that castle were wide enough and didn’t have any stairs to hinder you, we could have use you to ran Kamoshida over, Mona_.” thought Joker sneakily in his mind.

“Hey, Skull! Ladies first!” yell Panther indignantly to Skull as she run forward and began pulling him out of the bus.

“Stop pullin’ me! That’s dangerous!” Skull reprimanded her.

“Panther! Please be gentle!” yelped Mona as he shook quite violently from their actions.

“Those two really………” sighed Seraph as he shake his head at both Panther and Skull.

“Come on, Seraph. Let’s get into the bus too.” said Joker calmly to Seraph before he approach the bus, went and sat onto the middle seat of the bus next to Skull while Seraph opened the driver’s seat door, went in and sat down.

“All aboard! Let’s go, leader!” said Skull cheerfully to Joker as he leaned back in his seat.

“Hold your horses, Skull. And Joker, before we start the engine, do you know about safety and how to drive this bus?” asked Seraph concernly to Joker.

“Well, not really, Seraph. But I do learn, know and remember most of the basics of driving and vehicles safety for quite a few years from my father, just in case.” replied Joker slightly reassuringly to Seraph.

“Really? You sure about that?” said Seraph even more concernly to Joker.

“Don’t worry, Joker! I trust you to drive me. Just try not to smash up my beautiful face, alright?” said Mona reassuringly then concernly to Joker.

“Yeah, I got it, Mona.” said Joker reassuringly to Mona.

“Well, if Mona said that it’s fine then it’s fine by me.” said Seraph.

“All right, then. We’ll leave the driving to you.” said Panther as she gave a small smile to Joker (who glance over his shoulder at Panther and smiled back at her before he turned on Mona’s engine with a flick of the switch).

“Yeah, right there, Joker……… That feels sooo gooooood………” purred Mona happily to them.

“Uh, is that purrin’ I hear………?” What a creepy-ass bus!” said Skull as he shake his head.

“Don’t underestimate my meowtary engine. We’re going full throttle! It’s time to fly!” declared Mona.

Upon Mona’s declaration, Joker put his hands on the steering wheel, stepped on the pedal and started driving Mona and his teammates down into the subway station and they saw that it’s a dark and foreboding-looking tunnel with a slightly strong wind constantly blowing and sending pieces of torn papers, stray metals and scraps flying around them. Joker proceed to drive down the paths of the winding tunnels, bumping into wandering Shadows against Mona and fought and defeat them with his teammates, take the treasures from treasure chests while searching for their target, Nakanohara until Joker stopped the bus in front of a red and black swirling vortex at the end of a pathway.

“Dude, the hell is this………? It’s all wavy and shit.” swored Skull as he glance in disbelief at the swirling vortex in front of them.

“This is the place……… I sense the target up ahead.” confirmed Mona. “Now, are you ready, Joker?”

“Yeah, let’s do it.” said Joker with a smirk on his face before he drove Mona and his teammates straight through the swirling vortex, came out and landed into a large room on the other side and Joker slammed the brake to bring Mona to a stop before he turned off the engine and he and his teammates quickly got out of Mona before he transform back into his regular cat form.

“Hey, something’s there!” said Skull to the others as he raised and pointed his hand at the figure of a businessman standing with his back to them a few feet in front of them and with black mists swirling around him.

“That seems to be Nakanohara’s Shadow.” said Mona.

“Lemme see. Some front desk guy at City Hall became a stalker, right?” asked Skull.

“Yeah, that’s what was written and sent to the website by the woman who wrote it.” said Seraph.

“I don’t know how much evil he’s done, but we’ve to do something if he’s bothering other people.” said Panther as she glared at Shadow Nakanohara.

“All right, let’s go talk to him.” said Joker to them before they pull out their weapons and firearms, approach and stopped in front of Shadow Nakanohara (who turned to glared darkly at them when he noticed them coming).

“Who are you all!?” growled Shadow Nakanohara.

“Are you that stalker!? Haven’t you ever stopped to consider how your ex feels!?” snapped Panther as she stomped her boots a little.

“She’s my property! I can do whatever I want with her! It’s not like she didn’t treat me like a plaything! What’s wrong with me doing the same to her!?” Shadow Nakanohara snapped back at Panther.

“You can’t treat someone like shit just ‘cause they did it to you!” said Skull as he glared at Shadow Nakanohara. “What a load of crap……… We’re gonna change the hearts of all the bastards like you!”

“There are millions of people far worse than me!” retorted Shadow Nakanohara.

“Even if that’s true, that’s still no excuse for what you did!” snapped Seraph.

“What about Madarame………? He stole everything from me, but you all are letting him off the hook!?” yell Shadow Nakanohara indignantly to them.

“Madarame………? The hell’s this guy goin’ on about?” said Skull in confusion to the others.

“ _Madarame? Isn’t that the surname of the man who took in and take care of my younger brother, Yusuke and Aunt Shiori before she died? I think I’ll check it out later after we get out of this place just to be sure and I wonder how is Yusuke now._ ” thought Seraph to himself after Shadow Nakanohara yell out the name and about how his younger brother is.

“ _Oh shoot, that’s right. I forgot that you have a younger brother named Yusuke. And I agreed that you should check out on how he is now._ ” said Pharos.

“ _That name sound familiar for some reason………_ ” thought Joker to himself with a frown look on her face while Shadow Nakanohara transform into a small, orange-skinned, dark purple-haired, no eye troll (named Obariyon) that danced around in front of them.

“Get ready! Here he comes!” warned Mona.

“ _Now that I have what’s rightfully mine……… I’m not going to let you all take it away……… Look, this is a winner-takes-all-world. Come fight me and I’ll show you what I mean!_ ” said Shadow Nakanohara smugly to them before he jumped onto Joker and uses Cleave skill on her, causing 3 slash wounds on his right shoulder which make her grunted out in pain before he summoned forth Arsene, uses Eiga skill on him to get him away.

Panther then summoned forth Carmen to use Dia on Joker’s shoulder to healed it while Seraph, Skull and Mona summoned forth Orpheus, Captain Kidd and Zorro, uses Bash, Zio and Garu skills on Shadow Nakanohara and managed to knock him down. Joker and his teammates then uses All-Out Attack on Shadow Nakanohara to attack and injured him a lot before they charge forward and finish him off with their weapons and firearms. Shadow Nakanohara yell out in pain from their attacks before he fell to his knees on the ground and change back to his human form (while Joker and his teammates level up and obtain 7200 yen from him).

“I-I was wrong……… Please forgive me………” said Shadow Nakanohara weakly and pleadingly to them. “That evil teacher used me, then threw me out on the street. That’s what caused my fixation on her………”

“Evil teacher?” asked Joker as he furrowed his brows.

“Are you talking about this “Madarame” man you told us earlier? And what do you mean by him as an evil teacher who threw you out on the street?” asked Seraph.

“Yeah……… I just didn’t want anyone to throw me out again and since you’re curious about what I mean, why don’t you see and find out for yourself later on?” replied Shadow Nakanohara sadly to them.

“So some selfish bastard was making you suffer too………” said Panther sympathetically to Shadow Nakanohara as she crossed her arms. “Still, you shouldn’t have dragged an unrelated woman into your mess.”

“Yes, I know that now. I’ll put an end to my love for her………” said Shadow Nakanohara as he nodded sullenly to them before he glance up at Joker. “Hey, you can change people’s hearts, right? In that case……… Won’t you change Madarame’s heart!? Before more people fall victim to him………” Shadow Nakanohara pleaded to Joker before his body started glowing and disappearing into dozens of bluish-white lights and leave behind a glowing white orb that floats in thin air.

“Change……… Madarame’s heart?” said Panther as she glance in confusion at Joker, Seraph, Skull and Mona.

“Hm? What’s that shinin’ ball thing?” asked Skull.

“It’s the bud of a Treasure.” Mona answer and explain to Skull. “Had we left it be, it very well may have blossomed into a Palace. Joker, this will make a perfect reward!” added Mona happily to Joker (who nodded as he approach and take the Treasure and saw that he obtain an Attachment Pearl charm).

“So Nakanohara had a change of heart, right?” asked Skull as he glance at Mona.

“Most likely.” replied Mona.

“But how are we supposed to know if we succeeded?” said Panther.

“The lady posted the dude’s name online. If he really does change, she’ll prolly comment again.” said Skull as he crossed his arms.

“Hm, you do have a point.” said Mona.

“Either way, trainin’ against Shadows down here’s the best! It’s great prep for our next target!” said Skull with a wide grin on his face.

“It’s also nice to be able to give courage to the people who post their problems online.” said Panther, smiling as well.

“It does sound and feel nice and maybe it might get them to post more serious problems on the website.” said Seraph.

“On top of that, we can sell whatever treasure we get for some cold, hard cash!” added Mona as he grinned widely at them.

“Sounds like things are goin’ pretty great for us!” exclaimed Skull as he rolled his shoulders a little.

“Well then, let’s go, everyone.” said Joker to his teammates but before they could leave, Mona stepped in front of them to stop them from leaving.

“Hold on, there’s somewhere I want to show you guys before we leave.” said Mona quickly to them.

“What, there’s more?” said Skull in a slight exasperated tone of voice to Mona.

“Don’t worry, it won’t take long.” said Mona as he jumped a little before he turned and walked away from them, jumped and transform into the bus before Joker and his teammates quickly got in. Joker then turned on Mona’s engine, drove out of the room, drove down the tunnels to another platform and got out of Mona (and they were surprise to see a black train with bright and sinister-looking red light shining from within the train out through the windows came driving into the station on the other side of a wall with bars on them before it came to a stop).

Joker, Skull, Panther, Seraph and Mona then decided to ignored the black train that drove into the station for the moment, make their way down to the next level and found themselves standing on a platform with trains driving fast and nonstop down the tracks on both sides of them and with an ominous-looking wall that had glowing red “symbols and patterns of a curved diamond and an upside-down triangle on it a few feet in front of them.

“All right, there it is! What I want to check out is just past that wall!” said Mona in a cheering tone of voice to them.

Joker and his teammates nodded to Mona before they approach and stopped in front of the wall and they look and inspected it.

“………What is this place? It looks kinda creepy.” asked Panther hesitantly to Mona.

“And a dead end at that. Why’s it even exist?” asked Skull as he scratch the left side of his head.

“Now hold on, you two……… Just watch. This is most likely not an ordinary wall. If my hunch is correct………” explained Mona to both Skull and Panther before he raised and pressed his paw on the wall, causing the wall and the platform that Joker and his teammates were standing on to start shaking (which alarmed them) before the wall opened up to reveal 2 escalators heading down to the next level.

“It opened………!” exclaimed Panther with a surprise look on her face.

“ _Obviously since the cat opened it by pressing his paw on the wall._ ” scoffed Pharos.

“ _Yeah, Pharos._ ” said Seraph.

“ _A new area has been confirmed in the depths. Updating guidance information._ ” said the robotic female voice from Joker’s phone.

“See!? It’s just as I thought!” said Mona as he briefly jumped in joy.

“What do you mean?” asked Panther in confusion to Mona.

“That wall wouldn’t budge when I came here by myself before. But it’d be weird for the deepest part of Mementos to be some normal place like this, wouldn’t it?” Mona answer and explain more to them.

“So you were thinkin’ there’s gotta be more down there?” asked Skull as he crossed his arms.

“Yeah! Now that Kamoshida’s Palace is gone and people are actually starting to talk about us……… I knew something had to have changed down here!” replied Mona cheerfully to Skull.

“How deep is it? Should we try go further down?” suggested Panther.

“I don’t think we should, Panther.” said Joker as he shake his head at Panther.

“Joker’s right, Panther. That’s not why we’re here today, remember?” said Mona as he also shake his head at Panther. “We’ve already accomplished our goal. We should head back and I’ll explain more once we’re home.” added Mona to them before they turned around and began walking away from the opened wall and left the Metaverse.

XXXX

**Outside Shibuya station………**

“Mementos, huh?……… I still don’t really get that place. Oh, and what was that wall thing we saw at the end?” asked Ryuji as he glance at Morgana.

“I’m not entirely sure, but it blocked us from going in past a certain depth.” replied Morgana somberly to Ryuji. “If Mementos is the public Palace’s though……… it might be affected by the general public’s belief in us.”

“In other words, we’ve to be patient for it to open up even more to us………” said Akira.

“Why do you know so much about it, Morgana?” asked Ann.

“My memories are a little foggy in that regard……… However, I need to know what lies in the depths of Mementos, no matter what.” replied Morgana reluctantly to Ann.

“No matter what………?” said Ann as she raised her eyebrow at Morgana.

“Mementos is not just everyone’s Palace, it’s the source of all Palaces. It used to be that Palaces like Kamoshida’s with one ruler simply didn’t exist. So if we can do something about the greatest cause of distortions, I’m certain my appearance will………!” said Morgana sadly to himself.

“You wanted someone to save you too………” said Ann sympathetically to Morgana.

“I-I just needed pawns!” said Morgana as he bristled defensively at Ann.

“Yeah, sure, Morgana.” said Minato as he shrugged at Morgana (who scowled at Minato).

“Don’t worry, we understand, Morgana.” said Akira.

“I see……… So that’s why you came pokin’ your nose around with us.” said Ryuji as he glance at Morgana.

“………I’ll help you. I hope you can regain what you’ve lost.” said Ann determinedly to them.

“I’ll……… be relying on you guys.” said Morgana slightly sadly to them.

“By the way, Morgana……… Are you a boy? Or might you be a girl?” asked Ann curiously to Morgana.

“What if he’s not both boy and girl? What if he’s a bus?” said Akira.

“That is a possibility!” said Ann teasingly to Akira.

“I wish I could deny it, but……… I just can’t be sure.” said Ryuji.

“Seriously, you guys?” sighed Minato.

“Why not!?……… In any case, of course I’m male!” snapped Morgana as he scowled at Ryuji. “I mean, I………” added Morgana under his breath.

“………What is it?” asked Ann curiously to Morgana.

“No, it’s nothing! We’re done talking about it!” said Morgana as he shake his head a little before he glance at them. “Anyway, we now know that we can perform minor changes of hearts in Mementos. If we come across any eye-catching leads, it may be worth dealing with them for a bit of combat practice.”

“There weren’t any other outstanding ones though………” said Ann sullenly to Morgana.

“I bet we’ll get tons of ‘em if we can change someone famous and make the Phantom Thieves well-known. The big fish are our main targets after all.” said Ryuji with an excited grin on his face.

“First you need to find a way to get through your exams.” said Morgana, reminding them about the exams.

“I gotta study………” groaned Ryuji as he lowered his head in a pitiful manner.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine.” said Akira consolingly to Ryuji while unbeknownst to them, a guy is watching all of them talking together from a distance among the crowd, first on Ann then on Minato.

“ _I’ve found her! The next one that I’m going to draw on canvas! She’ll be the perfect model for my art!_ ” thought the guy happily in his mind about Ann before a sad look appear on his face when he glance at Minato. “ _That guy, his looks reminded me so much of my older brother, Minato, who died years ago due to coma at Tatsumi Port Island. How I missed him a lot………_ ” added the guy sadly in his mind about Minato before he turned and walked away.

“ _Minato, I sense that there’s someone watching us just now before he left._ ” said Pharos concernly to Minato.

“ _Someone watching us, huh?_ ” said Minato as he look around for whoever’s watching them and couldn’t see the person anywhere.

“Hm? What is it, Minato?” asked Akira when he (and also Morgana, Ryuji and Ann) noticed Minato looking around the place.

“……… It’s nothing, Akira.” replied Minato as he stop looking around before he bade farewell to them and went home.


	41. Chapter 41

**A few minutes later, inside Niijima’s apartment………**

“Welcome back, Minato-kun and you’re back a bit late today. May I ask on what did you do before you came back?” asked Sae suspiciously at Minato as she typed away at her laptop and without looking at him in the dining room.

“Nothing bad like you think and assume in your mind, Sae-san. All I did was hanging out with my friends, that’s all.” replied Minato coolly to Sae.

“ _Yeah, it’s not like you can just tell her out loud that you and your friends had just entered and explored in Mementos and changing the heart of that Nakanohara guy._ ” said Pharos teasingly to Minato.

“ _Quiet, Pharos._ ” said Minato.

“I see. By the way, did something happen to Makoto in school today because I noticed that she looks unhappy when she came back a few minutes ago.” asked Sae again.

“I don’t know what happen because I wasn’t with her all the time in school today, Sae-san.” lied Minato (which make Pharos let out a snort).

“Really? You weren’t?” said Sae sternly at Minato.

“Yeah.” said Minato.

“Hm, very well then. And next time I hope that you’d inform me earlier that you might came back late and also find out on what is it that make Makoto unhappy about in school tomorrow, Minato. Because I don’t want whatever it is that happen to affect her studies.” said Sae as she stopped typing, turned off and pick up and tucked her laptop under her right arm before she stood up from her seat.

“Sure, Sae-san.” said Minato as he nodded to Sae (who nodded back to him while Pharos snort at him again) and watch as she walked past him toward the door, opened it and left the apartment. Soon after she left, Minato went to take a bath, dry himself up then went into his room to put on his pajamas before he pick up his phone and saw that he had unread messages from his friends on it.

RS: _Man, that Nakanohara guy was a piece of cake! If we can take down some kinda big target next, we’re totally gonna get famous._

AT: _Hey! We’re trying to help people, not get famous!_

MA: _She’s right because being famous isn’t as good as you think, Ryuji._

RS: _Yeah, whatever you say, Minato. But if people don’t know who we are, how’re we gonna give them any courage?_

AK: _I think Ryuji may have a point._

RS: _See? He agrees with me._

AT: _You’re agreeing with him? Well, I don’t think that you’re necessarily wrong……… But should we really be doing this at all if we don’t have a reason like with Kamoshida?_

RS: _You mean we shouldn’t be sticking our noses into other people’s business?_

AK: _Not exactly because we need to find a reason for it, Ryuji. Like if they’re in trouble and decided to post their troubles into the website then we’ll help them out._

MA: _You’re right, Akira._

AT: _Yeah, he is and I agreed with that. And I guess I was glad we were able to solved the stalker case._

RS: _Plus, what good are our Personas if we don’t use ’em for good? Don’t you guys agree? Of course Minato had his way longer than we do._

AK: _Yeah, you’re right that he does, Ryuji. And I want to help people too._

AT: _Me three._

RS: _We don’t got much time to be arguing over this either. The Madarame (?) guy that the Nakanohara guy told us in Mementos bothers me._

MA: _Yeah, it bothers me too._

AT: _Yeah. But no getting carried away, you understand? And don’t do anything to stand out like fail all your exams, especially you, Ryuji._

RS: _Oh crap! Speaking of that, I haven’t studied at all………_

MA: _Good luck with that, Ryuji._

After Minato’s done in messaging with his friends, he then type and went into the net on his phone to find and check out informations about how his younger brother Yusuke is and about Madarame for the next few minutes, found and see several unsavory posts about Madarame abusing his students and plagiarising their artworks with a dark frown then angry look on his face before his face soften when he suddenly received a message from Yukari.

YT: _Hello, Minato. How are you and how’s your day today?_

MA: _Hello, Yukari. I’m fine and my day for today is half good and half bad._

YT: _Huh? What do you mean by that?_

MA: _Well, today my friends and I are being suspected by the student council president, Makoto Niijima because of what we did to Kamoshida._

YT: _Seriously!? She suspected that you and your friends did something to Kamoshida? She’s a sharp one, like Mitsuru._

MA: _Yeah, she is. But the reason why she’s suspecting and onto us is because she’s being forced to do it by principal Kobayakawa, which is right after he called and requested me to do it which I refused._

YT: _He did!? Oh, I feel sorry for her and this principal sounds like a scum, forcing her to do what she doesn’t want to do right after you reject his request._

MA: _Yeah, I know. But enough about me and my day, what about you and how’s your day today, Yukari?_

YT: _Oh, the usual. Having breakfast before going to the TV studio to do my job as Pink Argus with others until evening then have dinner with Aigis and the others before I went home for bathing then sleeping._

MA: _I see. Anyway, it’s getting late now so I’ll see or text you next time, Yukari._

YT: _Alright, Minato. See you next time and I love you._

MA: _I love you too, Yukari._

“ _Aw, how sweet of you and Yukari-san to say such loving words to each other which is what you need to cheer up after what Makoto did to you and your friends today, Minato._ ” said Pharos teasingly to Minato.

“ _Please, enough with your teasing already, Pharos. Now can we get some sleep because I need a clear mind for the upcoming exams for the next few days._ ” groaned Minato mentally to Pharos.

" _Very well then and good night, Minato._ ” said Pharos.

“ _Good night, Pharos._ ” said Minato before he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.


	42. Chapter 42

**A few days later, the final day of exams………**

“Well, today’s the final day of the exams for us and how did you do in yours, Minato-san?” asked Ken curiously to Minato as they leaned against the wall and waited for their train in Shibuya station.

“It was a breeze and what about yours, Ken?” replied Minato before he asked Ken a question.

“ _Of course it’s a breeze for you since you already max out your knowledge, Minato._ ” said Pharos sarcastically to Minato.

“ _Yeah, thanks for that, Pharos._ ” sighed Minato mentally at Pharos.

“Not bad, Minato-san.” replied Ken.

“That’s good to hear, Ken.” said Minato as he nodded to Ken before they saw Akira, Morgana and Ryuji approaching them.

“Good morning, you two.” greeted Akira politely to them.

“Yeah, good morning, Akira-kun.” Minato greeted back to him while Ken nodded.

“Yeah, morning, you guys. So sleepy………” said Ryuji as he yawned tiredly. “I ended up pullin’ an all-nighter once I realised that today’s the last day of exams.”

“You? Staying up studying?” said Morgana skeptically to Ryuji after he popped out of Akira’s bag and leaned against his shoulder to glance at him.

“Nah, I gave up on the exams. I was playin’ some games, then before I knew it, it was morning.” sighed Ryuji as he slumped his back.

“Why are we not surprised that you would choose to do that over studying, Ryuji?” sighed Minato as he and Ken shake their heads at Ryuji.

“I know what you mean but if you keep doing that, you’re going to failed, Ryuji-kun.” said Akira sympathetically then matter-of-factly to Ryuji.

“Eh, it’ll be fine. Nobody’s expectin’ anything of me, so I don’t gotta worry about grades.” said Ryuji as he shrugged his shoulders.

“How could you say that! Grades are important to us!” said Ken in disbelief at Ryuji.

“He’s right, you should be worry about your grades.” said Akira in agreement with Ken at Ryuji (which make him scowled at them).

“Morning………” yawned Ann as she approach and stopped in front of them.

“Yo, look who else is yawnin’.” said Ryuji with a huge grin on his face as he, Akira, Morgana, Minato and Ken turned to glance at Ann.

“Exams are almost over, so I thought I’d make one last effort across the finish line.” said Ann.

“Impressive, Lady Ann. You, Akira, Minato and Ken are all quite different from this stupid blonde monkey we know.” said Morgana approvingly to Akira, Minato, Ken and Ann.

“Yeah, at least you hit the books and study like us, unlike Ryuji.” said Minato in agreement with Morgana.

“Huh? Don’t gimme that crap. Your brain’s tiny compared to mine and who do you think you’re in saying that, Minato?” snapped Ryuji as he glared at Morgana and Minato for talking bad at him.

“Size is meaningless if there’s nothing inside, you know.” said Morgana smugly to Ryuji.

“What was that!?” growled Ryuji as he stepped closer and glared at Morgana.

“Ugh, will you please shut up!? You’re gonna make me forget everything I memo-” Ann began reprimanding Ryuji before she stopped when she felt someone watching her, turned and look around for the person to no avail. “Am I imagining things………?” whisper Ann under her breath as she furrowed her brows.

“Hm? What is it, Ann?” asked Akira when he noticed Ann looking around for something or someone.

“I don’t know, Akira. I felt someone watching me………” replied Ann.

“Someone’s watching you?” said Ken concernly to Ann.

“What? You see a groper or something?” said Ryuji.

“ _Minato, whoever’s watching her is the same one that I sense watching us after we came out of Mementos a few days ago._ ” said Pharos.

“ _Really? The same one you sense watching us a few days ago, huh?_ ” said Minato.

“No, that’s not it. It’s……… nothing.” said Ann as she shake her head while Morgana had a frown look on his face.

After a few seconds, the train that Akira, Ryuji, Ann, Morgana, Minato and Ken have been waiting for arrived in Shibuya station and they went into the train with the other passengers and they head off to Aoyama-Itchome station. Once they’ve arrived in Aoyama-Itchome station and got off the train with the other passengers toward the escalators, the person who’s been watching Ann and the same one that Pharos sensed got off as well and followed them. “Oh my god, that guy got off!” gasped Ann after she turned around and finally spotted the person that’s been watching her before she glance at Akira. “Isn’t this bad………?” added Ann concernly to Akira (who turned around and saw the person that’s been watching her and following them, same goes for Minato and he widened his eyes in surprise then joy as he recognized the person who watch her and follow them).

“ _Minato, don’t tell me that he’s………_ ” said Pharos in disbelief at Minato.

“ _Yeah, it’s just like you think, Pharos. It’s my younger brother and I wonder what does he want with Ann that he’s following-_ ” said Minato.

“ _Don’t you mean stalking her, Minato?_ ” said Pharos dryly to Minato (which make him let out a small sigh).

“Hey! At least act like you care!” said Ann in annoyance at Ryuji when she saw that he started yawning.

“Fine……… Come on.” sighed Ryuji before he walked past them up the escalator and they followed after him.

After all of them stepped out of the station, Minato told and convinced Akira, Morgana, Ryuji and Ann to go ahead to Shujin first while he and Ken stay behind to confront the guy that follow them.

“Are you two sure about that, Minato, Ken? What if he attacks you two or something?” said Ann concernly to both Minato and Ken.

“We’ll be fine so don’t you worry about it and go already.” said Minato reassuringly to Ann.

“Yeah.” said Ken.

“Fine then, if you guys say so. Let’s go.” said Akira before he, Morgana, Ryuji and Ann walked away from them toward Shujin Academy.

Soon after Minato and Ken watch them leave, both of them heard the sound of footsteps and keys jingling approaching from behind them and they immediately turned around to glance at the person that’s been following them and they saw that the person is a tall and lean, fair-skinned, short dark blue-haired, dark grey-eyed, pretty-looking guy wearing a long sleeve white dress shirt, long black fitted pants (with some keys hanging out of his pants pocket) and black loafers on his feets before the guy instantly stopped and glance monotonously at them.

“Excuse me. But may I ask you two on where the girl that’s with you two and two other guys gone off to?” asked the guy politely to both Minato and Ken.

“We told her, Akira and Ryuji to go ahead to school without us. Now it’s our turn to ask you some questions, who are you, why are you stalking her and what’s your intention to her?” asked Ken suspiciously to the guy while crossing his arms.

“Stalking her? That’s an outrageous claim from you. Rest assured that my intention to her is that I wanted to ask her to be the model for my next art piece because she’s the girl that I’ve been looking all this time! As for who I am………” replied the guy quite passionately to Ken.

“You’re Yusuke Kitagawa. The last pupil of Ichiryusai Madarame, the famous artist and a second-year student at Kosei High’s Fine Arts Division.” said Minato, cutting off the rest of the guy’s words. “You haven’t changed a bit. You’re still the same eccentric boy who loves art as much as Aunt Shiori, Yusuke.” added Minato with a small smile on his face to the guy named Yusuke Kitagawa.

“Y-Yes, you’re right about my name, Sensei’s name and the school that I go to. But how do you know………” said Yusuke in confusion to Minato, same goes for Ken.

“You know this guy, Minato-san?” asked Ken in confusion to Minato, cutting off Yusuke’s words the second time.

“You don’t recognized me even though I’m standing right in front of you now? Has it been that long and have you really forgotten about me, your older brother? Come on, Yusuke, surely you’re not that forgetful of people, especially family.” said Minato in disappointment at Yusuke for forgetting about him.

“It can’t be……… Aniki?” gasped Yusuke as he widened his eyes in shock and disbelief at Minato after he remember and recognized him.

“That’s right. It’s me, Minato Arisato and I’m glad to see that you finally remember and recognized me, Yusuke.” said Minato as he smiled and opened his arms and Yusuke immediately rushed forward and enveloped Minato in a brotherly hug while Ken slowly smiled at them.

“My god! It’s really you and I’ve missed you, aniki! You’re here and you’re alive!” babbled Yusuke in joy and relief to Minato before he stopped hugging and step back from him.

“Yeah, I missed you too……… Hold on a second, what do you mean by I’m alive, Yusuke?” asked Minato in confusion to Yusuke.

“That’s because………” said Yusuke hesitantly to Minato before he got cut off the third time by the sound of a car honking nearby them and they glance and saw a black-coloured luxury car parking next to them on the road before the tinted window of the car rolled down to reveal a long grey-haired (tied up into a ponytail), elderly man wearing a dark blue kimono with a light brown jacket over it.

“My goodness……… I had wondered why you left the car. So this is where your passion led. All is well that ends well.” said the elderly man as he smiled good-naturedly at them before he started laughing heartily.

“Oh, sorry about that, sensei! And sensei, you’ll not believe who I just met and reconciled with today!” said Yusuke apologetically then happily to the elderly man.

“Sensei? Wait, is that elderly man Ichiryusai Madarame-san, the name of the famous artist that you just mention to Yusuke-kun, Minato-san?” asked Ken as he glance at Minato.

“Yeah, he is and I did, Ken.” replied Minato blankly to Ken.

“ _Hey, Minato. Isn’t he the same guy that Shadow Nakanohara told us about in Mementos that day?_ ” Pharos told Minato.

“ _Yeah, he is, Pharos._ ” said Minato.

“You can tell me later, Yusuke. Right now we need to go!” Madarame called out to him from the car.

“Alright and I’m sorry, Sensei. I’ll be right there!” said Yusuke as he glance apologetically at Madarame before he glance sadly back at Minato.

“I’m really happy to see you again and I hope that you’ll come to Madarame-sensei’s exhibition that will begin at the department store near the station tomorrow. I’ll be there to helped out on opening day. Please come by, you and your friend here. Also, it’ll be great if you could find and give these 3 tickets to the girl and your other two friends………” said Yusuke as he pull out 5 tickets from his pants pocket, gave one each of both Minato and Ken then the other 3 to Minato for the others.

“Sure and thank you for the tickets, Yusuke.” Said Minato thankfully to Yusuke as he took the tickets from him, gave one to Ken and put the other 4 in his pants pocket.

“Well then, I hope to see you all there tomorrow, aniki!” Yusuke bade farewell to them before he turned, went into the car and the car drove him and Madarame down the road away from them.

“I can’t believe that you never told us that you had a brother, Minato-san. Why didn’t you tell us about him before?” asked Ken as he scowled at Minato.

“That’s because none of you ask me about it so I didn’t say anything, Ken.” replied Minato.

“………Fine, whatever you say, Minato-san. Now we better hurry and go to school or we’ll be late!” said Ken concernly to Minato before they quickly walked to Shujin.


	43. Chapter 43

**Inside Shujin Academy………**

After Akira, Morgana and their two friends left both Minato and Ken to deal with the guy who follow Ann arrived in Shujin Academy, they quickly went into their class, sat down and as they put away their bags and prepared themselves for their final exams of the day, Minato quickly came into class, went to his seat, sat down and put his bag away before the bell started ringing and Kanakubo-sensei entered the classroom.

“Today’s the last day of exams, huh, Akira.” said Morgana quietly to Akira (who nodded silently to him) from inside the desk before he fell silent when Kanakubo-sensei came and hand a piece of essay paper to Akira. “Whoa, I can see you spared almost no time in doing and get through the exam……… I’m pretty sure that you can passed the exam and get a good score.” added Morgana quietly to Akira after Kanakubo-sensei walked away from them.

“We shall see whether I or the others will passed or not, Morgana. Then after school we’ll meet up with Minato and Ken to asked them about the stalker who follows Ann.” replied Akira almost quietly to Morgana as he pick up his pencil and began writing the essay in front of him.

XXXX

**A few hours later, in Shibuya station………**

“Mmmmmm, it’s over!” groaned Ann in joy and relief as she raised and stretch her arms above her.

“It’s over………” said Ryuji in a despair tone of voice before he glance at Akira. “How ‘bout you, Kurusu………?” asked Ryuji.

“I’m feeling confident, Ryuji, thanks for asking.” replied Akira with a smug smile on his face.

“You traitor!” hissed Ryuji as he scowled darkly at Akira before he glance at both Minato and Ken. “And what about you two, Arisato, Amada?”

“The same as Akira, Ryuji.” said Minato calmly to Ryuji.

“Me too.” said Ken.

“Ugh, I hate you guys, leaving me out to dry.” said Ryuji as he scowled at both Minato and Ken now before he look away from them, pull out and glance at his phone instead. “Anyways, can we stop talkin’ about the exams? Like it or not, they’re gonna come back graded next week. Rather than focus on stuff that’s over with………” 

“What’re you looking at?” asked Ann curiously at Ryuji.

“The usual site.” replied Ryuji as he briefly turned and raised his phone to show them the Phantom Aficionado Website before he glance back at it. “………It’s no use. There ain’t any new useful info. The number of posts are getting’ less and less too………” added Ryuji as he frown in disappointment.

“I’m not letting this end as a one-hit wonder, OK?” said Morgana as he popped out of Akira’s bag with a scowl look on his face.

“ _Geez, inpatient and antsy much, you two?_ ” thought Minato as he rolled his eyes at both Morgana and Ryuji.

“There’s no point in getting antsy though.” said Ann. “I know! Why don’t we go eat lunch somewhere? We still have some money leftover from the other day.”

“I want sushi then! Or domestic-raised eel!” suggested Ryuji with a wide grin on his face.

“Sorry to burst your happy mood but we don’t have THAT much left, Ryuji. We only have enough for us to go to a fast-food place or a small diner.” sighed Akira before he glance at both Minato and Ken. “Also, we wanted to know about the stalker who follow Ann from you two.”

“Yeah, we know, Akira.” said Minato as he and Ken nodded to him. “ _They’ll surely be surprised at knowing that the stalker is my younger brother, Yusuke Kitagawa._ ” thought Minato in his mind.

“ _Yeah, they sure will, Minato._ ” said Pharos in agreement with Minato.

“Then what’re we waiting here for? Let’s go to either one of those places that Akira’s just suggested to us.” said Ryuji excitedly to them.

“It’s settled then, let’s go!” said Morgana as he smiled at Akira before they left the station and head towards Big Bang Burger restaurant in the central street in Shibuya.

XXXX

**A few minutes later, in Big Bang Burger………**

“So……… you’re telling us that the stalker who follow me is actually your younger brother named Yusuke Kitagawa and the reason why he follow me is because he wanted me to be his model for his art?” said Ann in a surprise tone of voice to Minato after he and Ken’s done in telling her, Akira, Morgana and Ryuji about Yusuke Kitagawa.

“Yeah, that’s what he told me and Ken before he gave us and you three those tickets to Madarame’s exhibition tomorrow. So are you guys interested in going to see the fine arts?” asked Minato as he take out and hand the 3 tickets over to them.

"I don’t know. He sounds suspicious and what he wanted from Ann sounds shady………” said Ryuji concernly to them.

“I don’t think so. I mean, he did say that he’s the student of that Madarame, a super-famous Japanese-style artist who’s been recognized all over the world, who was on “Good Morning Japan” plus there’s a special program about his nice artworks on TV.” said Ann.

“That’s not all, he gave and told Minato to give the 3 tickets to us and besides, we heard Nakanohara mention Madarame’s name and what he did to him in Mementos. It could be related.” said Akira.

“………Madarame, was it?” said Ryuji as he munched on his beef burger.

“Hmm………” hummed Morgana.

“Take your time thinking about it, you guys.” said Ken.

“……… So how about it, you guys? Since Minato gave us the tickets for the exhibition tomorrow, you guys wanna go there to see and appreciate some fine arts for once?” asked Akira as he glance at Morgana, Ryuji and Ann.

“Fine arts, huh………” said Ryuji as he look down and twirled the fry with his fingers a little.

“I suggest, we should all go together! Appreciating the fine arts builds character. A phantom thief who can’t identify an original from fakes is lame.” said Morgana smugly to them.

“Well, if Morgana say so………” said Ryuji as he pursed his lips.

“Guess that settles it then. We’ll be going with you two to the exhibition tomorrow, Minato, Ken.” said Akira to both Minato and Ken after he finish his cheese burger.

“It’s settled then.” said Ann as she smiled cheerfully to them.

“Good. We’ll be looking forward to it tomorrow.” said Ken as he smiled at Ann.

“Yeah. Also, the phrase “going to an art exhibit” sounds kinda mature.” said Ann as she finish her 100 plus soda. “Let’s all meet at the art exhibit entrance tomorrow.”

“Yeah, we will, Ann.” said Akira as he nodded to Ann.

“Now that it’s settled, Ken and I’ll be going home now so see you guys tomorrow.” said Minato before he and Ken stood up, bade farewell to Akira, Morgana, Ryuji and Ann before they left Big Bang Burger, left Central Street and head down to the subway station before they split up and take different trains home.


	44. Chapter 44

**The next day………**

Both Minato and Ken meet up with Akira, Morgana, Ann and Ryuji in their rendezvous point in Central Street before they make their way toward the art exhibit together, stopped outside the entrance of the art exhibit and saw that a lot of people are already inside, looking, admiring and talking about the various arts hanging on the walls.

“So crowded………” groaned Morgana.

“That’s to be expected since Madarame is a famous elderly artist, Morgana.” said Akira as he patted his head.

“Yeah, you’re right about that, Kurusu-kun.” said Ken in agreement with Akira.

“It’ll be a pain in the ass if someone sees you, so don’t stick your head out too much, alright?” whispered Ryuji as he scowled at Morgana (who scowled back at him before he listen and went back inside Akira’s bag).

“ _Heads up, Minato. Your brother’s coming._ ” said Pharos to Minato (who noticed and saw Yusuke coming toward him and his friends.

“You came, Aniki!” exclaimed Yusuke happily to Minato as he approach and stopped in front of them Minato.

“Of course I came because didn’t I already say that I will, Yusuke? Also I’ve told my friends to come with me and Ken and gave them the tickets to this art exhibit that you gave me and Ken yesterday.” said Minato as he smiled and nodded to Yusuke before he gestured with his hand at Ken, Akira, Morgana, Ann and Ryuji standing with him.

“I see. It’s nice to meet you all. I’m Yusuke Kitagawa.” said Yusuke as he glance and nodded politely and introduced himself to Akira, Morgana, Ann and Ryuji.

“Nice to meet you too, Kitagawa-kun. I’m Akira Kurusu and this is my cat, Morgana.” said Akira as he introduced himself to Yusuke.

“Yo, the name’s Ryuji Sakamoto.” said Ryuji.

“And I’m Ann Takamaki. It’s nice to meet you, Kitagawa-kun.” said Ann politely to Yusuke. “Minato-kun told me that the reason you follow me is because you wanted to ask me to be a model for your art, huh?” asked Ann.

“Yes, exactly and I’m glad that you told her about it, aniki.” said Yusuke as he smiled and nodded to both Ann and Minato before he glance at Akira, Ryuji and Ken. “Make sure that you three don’t get in the way of the other visitors.” added Yusuke dismissively to them before he glance back at Ann and Minato. “Come now. I’ll show you two around. I’d like to speak more about the art I’d like to draw of you and I wanted to show you the arts in here, aniki.”

“Of course, lead the way and next time, be more nice instead of dismissive to my friends, Yusuke.” said Minato coolly to Yusuke.

“I’ll remember that, aniki.” said Yusuke as he nodded to Minato.

“Well, see you guys later.” said Ann as she and Minato briefly glance at Akira, Ryuji and Ken before they followed Yusuke into the exhibition.

“Will Lady Ann and Minato be alright with him, you guys!?” said Morgana worriedly to Akira, Ryuji and Ken from inside Akira’s bag. “What if he brings Lady Ann away from Minato into the farthest corner of the exhibition, drags her behind some paintings and tries something funny on her!?”

“What!? Now you’re just being paranoid and ridiculous, Morgana! There’s no way that he would do such a thing to Ann and Minato, so calm down and stay quiet inside the bag!” whisper Akira in annoyance at Morgana (who reluctantly calm down and stay quiet).

XXXX

**Meanwhile………**

“Well, there goes Ann and Minato.” sighed Ryuji before he glance at Akira, Morgana and Ken. “Are we really gonna “appreciate” the fine arts? Can’t we just go home already?”

“And leave Minato and Ann behind in the exhibition? No. Why don’t we take a look around, at least?” said Akira.

“He’s right. We just got here after all.” said Ken in agreement with Akira.

“Fine. I guess we could do a quick pass through it once………” said Ryuji as he slumped down a little before he look up and around the exhibit. “Uh, which way are we supposed to start?” asked Ryuji.

“Seriously?” sighed Ken as he shake his head at Ryuji.

“Let’s just go in, you guys.” replied Akira coolly to Ryuji and they went into the exhibition. Soon after Akira, Morgana, Ryuji and Ken stepped in, they stopped when they saw Madarame standing and talking to a reporter, journalist and cameraman a few feet to their right and they decided to get closer to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“We continue to be truly surprised by your imagination.” said the female reporter happily and politely to Madarame. “You have such expansive styles, it’s hard to believe that it all stems from one person……… Where in the world does all your inspiration come from?” asked the female reporter.

“Well……… It is rather difficult to put into words……… They naturally well up from within my heart like bubbles rising one after another in a spring.” replied Madarame as he grasped his chin thoughtfully to the female reporter.

“Naturally, you say?” repeated the female reporter.

“What’s important is too distance oneself from worldly desires such as money and fame.” said Madarame as he slowly nodded to the female reporter. “My atelier is a modest shack, but it is more than enough to pursue true beauty.”

“………A shack?” said Ryuji as he crossed his arms and with a frown look on his face.

“I see……… so the act of emptying one’s mind gives rise to inner beauty. Still, to think we could hear the word “shack” coming from the great artist Madarame.” said the female reporter.

“You would understand if you saw it, Hahahaha………” chuckled Madarame.

“Wasn’t the word “shack” something………” said Ryuji.

“Odd?” said Akira.

“It could be that or it could mean something else, you guys.” said Ken as he frown at Madarame.

“Something else? Like what exac………” said Ryuji before he got cut off by a visitor.

“Madarame-san is actually here!?” said a sharp-eyed female visitor excitedly as she suddenly approach Madarame and the news people interviewing him.

“He’s over there!” said another excited man.

“I’m so glad I came on opening day!” gushed a fangirl as well before a horde of excited admirers rushed forward past Akira, Ryuji and Ken while they uncaringly shoving and elbowing them away.

“Hey, stop pushin’………! There’s way too many people!” yell Ryuji.

“Ow! They sure are a bunch of excited ones if they want to see Madarame-san’s this much.” said Ken as he winced in pain a little from someone elbowing him.

“Come on, we’ve no choice but to head for the exit now, you guys!” yell Akira as he, Ryuji and Ken shoved their way past the people toward the exit. “I hope Ann and Minato won’t be too mad at us when they saw that we’re not in the exhibit.” thought Akira concernly in his mind.

XXXX

**Back to Ann, Minato and Yusuke.........**

“What an expansive exhibit and the various arts contain within it are quite different and beautiful, Yusuke.” said Minato as he, Ann and Yusuke walked and look from one painting to another in the exhibit.

“I agreed with Minato-kun. Each one of them is different and beautiful in different colours, textures and styles.” said Ann as she nodded in agreement with Minato.

“Usually one concentrates on their own style. However, Sensei creates all of these by himself. He’s special.” explained Yusuke.

“Is that so?” said Minato as he raised his eyebrow at Yusuke.

“There you are, Yusuke.” said Madarame as he approach and stopped near Yusuke.

“Sensei!” said Yusuke as he quickly turned and bowed to Madarame (who smiled and nodded to him before he glance at Minato and Ann, who also bowed to him).

“Ah, you must be the estranged older brother that he mention to me yesterday. Nice to see you again and she must be the model that he wanted to be his model for the art. Are you two enjoying the exhibit so far?” asked Madarame.

“Yes, we do and I don’t know how to put it into words……… but it’s really amazing.” said Ann in an awed tone of voice to Madarame.

“Yeah. Although I get the feeling that these artworks is done by others because of how different each of them look, Madarame-san.” said Minato coolly to Madarame.

“I see. You two are sensing something from the artworks……… That alone is enough to give us artists satisfaction.” said Madarame as he smiled quite happily to them before he glance at Yusuke. “I hope this becomes a wonderful piece, Yusuke. Well then, if you all will excuse me.” Madarame told Yusuke before he turned around and take his leave.

“ _I hope this becomes a wonderful piece, Yusuke?” I wonder what does he mean by that?_ ” thought Minato slightly suspiciously in his mind about some of Madarame’s words to Yusuke.

_“Whatever it is, it sounds suspicious, Minato._ ” said Pharos warily to Minato.

“You’d imagine artists would be difficult to approach……… but he seems really friendly.” said Ann as she smiled at Yusuke.

“Indeed and shall we resumed and move on to the next one, aniki, Takamaki-san?” said Yusuke as he turned back and smiled slightly at Ann and Minato, who nodded to him before they walked on, stopped and glance at another painting of a mountain in the distance with both sides covered with thick-looking trees while grasses and dozens of different coloured flowers stands in the middle of it.

“Oh, this is it-the painting I wanted to see in person.” said Ann happily to Yusuke.

“Wow, what keen eyes you have, Ann. This painting is an impressive one.” said Minato approvingly to Ann.

“………This one?” said Yusuke as he walked up and glance uncertainly at Minato and Ann.

“Yeah, Minato. This one’s impressive like you said and I can sense a strong feeling of anger and frustration emanating from it. It’s hard for me to think that someone as polite and cheerful as Madarame-san could paint and produce such a painting………” said Ann as she and Minato glance at Yusuke (who clutched his chest with his fist and had a grimaced look on his face).

“What’s wrong, Yusuke?” asked Minato concernly to Yusuke when he saw the grimace look on his face.

“Are you feeling unwell, Kitagawa-san?” asked Ann concernly to Yusuke when she noticed as well.

“Don’t mind me, you two.” replied Yusuke calmly to them (which deepen the suspicious feeling inside Minato). “There are much better pieces than……… this one. Come now, this way, you two.” Yusuke added to them before he turned and walked away from them to the next painting.

“H-Hey!” yell Ann before she followed him.

“Hm, I wonder. Could it be that………” thought Minato as he glance back and forth at the painting and at Yusuke before he decided to dismiss his suspicious thinking for now and went after Ann and Yusuke.

XXXX

**In the station walkway.........**

“We finally got away from those excited crowd. Are you two okay, Ryuji, Ken?” asked Akira concernly to both Ryuji and Ken as he leaned his back against the tall railing.

“I’m fine, Akira. Thanks for asking and for your concern.” replied Ken reassuringly to Akira.

“Not really for me, Kurusu. One of the old ladies totally elbowed me………” groaned Ryuji as he sat down on the ground next to Akira. “But thanks to that, I remember now.”

“Hang on, Ryuji. Before you tell us, what about Lady Ann and Minato?” said Morgana as he popped his head out of Akira’s bag and furrowed his brow at Ryuji.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine, Morgana……… Anyway, it’s about a post online.” said Ryuji as he search for the Phantom Aficionado Website, found it and he turned his phone around to show the post to Akira, Morgana and Ken. “Here, look at this, you guys.” said Ryuji.

“There you guys are!” snapped Ann as she stomped up to them with an annoy look on her face while Minato walked in silence behind her. “Why’d you guys leave without us!?” added Ann in more annoyance to them.

“No, we didn’t!” said Ken.

“He’s right! You got it all wrong; we got dragged into this huge crowd and-” said Ryuji as he sweat-dropped a little at Ann’s harsh words before he briefly shook his head and show the post on his phone to them both. “………Eh, anyways. You two gotta look into this too. This post might be about Madarame.”

“A post about Madarame, huh?” said Minato.

“What’s it say?” asked Ann.

“ _A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupil’s work. Only his public face is shown on TV._ ” replied Ryuji.

“Plagiarizing!?” gasped Ann as she took several steps back while staring at them with a shock look on her face.

“I didn’t think much of it when I first saw it, but hearing “shack” and “Madarame” triggered it.” said Ryuji as he nodded to Ann before he glance back at his phone. _“His treatment of the pupils who live with him is awful. He teaches nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely, as if disciplining a dog………_ ” Ryuji continue reading the post from his phone to them.

“That’s terrible of him!” said Ann, starting to feel a bit angry at Madarame.

“If this post about him and what he did to them is true then he’s truly an asshole.” said Ken.

“Abuse on top of plagiarism, hm………?” said Morgana with a scowl look on his face.

“If this is real, it’ll be a huge scandal.” said Ryuji with a wide and excited grin on his face.

“I wonder if Kitagawa-kun posted this. I mean, he IS a pupil of Madarame.” said Ann as she grasped her chin with her hands thoughtfully.

“I doubt that, Ann-san. It could be someone else who hated Madarame and who posted that on the website.” said Akira with a shake of his head.

“Kurusu’s got a point, Ann. It’s anonymous and all………” said Ryuji.

“In that case……… It’s possible that the Madarame we heard about from Nakanohara in Mementos is referring to the same one.” said Morgana.

“An elderly man like that doing such a thing………?” said Ann sullenly to herself and to them.

“It just goes to show that we can’t judge a book by it’s cover.” said Akira.

“Yeah, without a doubt.” said Minato.

“I wonder if we can ask that Shadow from earlier about this.” muttered Ann to herself and to the others. “Oh. Actually, we just need to talk to him in reality.”

“And how do we go about that? Are we gonna explain it all, startin’ with Mementos?” said Ryuji in a deadpan tone of voice to Ann.

“Besides, if we make a move out in the open, there’s the possibility that Madarame will find out.” said Morgana.

“Oh……… Yeah, right………” murmured Ann in disappointment.

“Hey, what do you think about Madarame, Kurusu? Doesn’t he seem suspicious?” asked Ryuji as he glance at Akira.

“Yeah, he does seem suspicious, Ryuji.” replied Akira as he nodded to Ryuji.

“I know, right. This all fits way too well to just be a coincidence.” said Ryuji in an agreeing tone of voice to Isamu. “If this post is legit, ain’t this the kinda target we’re been waitin’ for?”

“Well, yeah but……… Is it really true………?” said Ann doubtfully to them.

“We just have to assumed that it is true, Ann.” said Minato.

“By the way, what’d you do about the whole modelling thing?” asked Ryuji.

“Oh yeah, the modelling thing. Kitagawa-san gave me his contact info and also the address to his sensei’s atelier.” replied Ann.

“He did said he lives there, right? Perfect timing.” said Ryuji as he stood up with a wide smile on his face. “Let’s try goin’ there tomorrow! We’re off to Madarame’s house right after school!”

“Huh? You want me to model tomorrow!?” said Ann as she gaped in shock at Ryuji for suddenly saying that to her. “This is too sudden………”

“No kidding.” said Ken in agreement with Ann.

“What? We’re just gonna talk to Kitagawa, that’s all. Isn’t that right, Minato?” said Ryuji, giving Ann an odd look before he glance at Minato.

“Yeah, I guess, Ryuji.” said Minato.

“Oh, that’s what you meant………” said Ann in a relief tone of voice to Ryuji before all of them bade farewell to each other, split up and went home.


End file.
